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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 







UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



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THE WORK OF GRACE UPON A HUMAN FACE WITHIN A YEAR. 

DELIH, 
Formerly known as the Blue-Bird of Mulberry Bend, Ne7v York. 

SMALL PICTURE TAKEN 3 MONTHS AFTER RESCUE; LARGE PICTURE TAKEN 6 MONTHS BEFORE ENTERING HEAVEN. 



DELIA; 

Formerly the Blue-Bird 

of Mulberry Bend. 



MRS. E. M. WHITTEriORE. 



^>F 



r MAY <so 1894" 



PUBLISHED BY 
THE DOOR OF HOPE, 

102 East 6ist Street, 
New York. 



3V.Z(*5*7 

, U to We 



Copyright, 1893, By Mrs. E. M. WhittemorH. 






LC Control Number 




tmp96 027664 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XL 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 
The Results, 



PA6E. 

9 

■ 16 
20 

■ 25 
31 

- 3S 
47 
50 
55 
7i 
76 
89 

97 
103 
in 
115 



For the Exterior and Interior Pictures 
of the Door of Hope, opposite pages 23 and 
30, we are indebted to the courtesy of THE 
CHRISTIAN HERALD^ by whom they 
are kindly loaned. 



INTRODUCTION. 



This little book is presented to the public for 
much prayerful consideration as to one's duty 
concerning the special class it touches, also with 
the earnest desire that it may be placed into the 
hands of many a poor, destitute girl, friendless 
and broken-hearted, who, through the reading 
of same, may be made to realize that " God so 
loved the world that He gave His only begotten 
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not 
perish but have everlasting life," John iii : 16. 
Also, that " Whosoever calleth upon the name 
of the Lord shall be saved, ' ' Rom. x : 1 1 . 

May the reading of this account of Delia 
quicken hundreds of Christians to greater activ- 
ity in the rescue of just such girls as she. 

No need to repeatedly reiterate any longer, 
"We are not called tc such work," when we 
perceive what one poor girl could accomplish, 



6 INTRODUCTION. 

snatched by the love of God, in answer to believ* 
ing prayer, as a very brand from the burningo 

No such paltry reason for indifference or idle- 
ness will justify one, nor afford them, later on, 
sufficient excuse, when the Lord may demand 
at their hands many a poor wanderer of the 
street whom their eyes may have rested upon 
either in pity or scorn while here below. 

Called ! Yes, surely ; if by no higher call than 
some despairing mother's heart. In fact, every 
time we look upon the countenances of these 
sorely neglected ones is but another opportunity 
bestowed to reach forth the helping hand that 
will gently lead them to the Saviour's feet. 

The loudest of all calls, though, comes from 
God on high through the lips of Jesus, as He 
ascended above, " Go ye into all the world, and 
preach the Gospel to every creature/ ' Markxvi: 15. 

Let conscience be silenced no longer to the 
needs of much personal effort for the salvation of 
the erring ones. . O, the solemn thought, if we 
women neglect to heed the Lord's injunctions 
concerning these girls, and so overlook our duty 



INTRODUCTION. 7 

as woman to woman, thousands will enter perdi- 
tion, as it is not a work for but very few men tc 
even touch, excepting through the earnest minis- 
tration of prayer ; therefore the chief responsibil- 
ity rests upon us. 

One word more : should we not be encouraged, 
through Delia's life, to do with our might what He 
gives us to do ? And in that day when He maketh 
up His jewels, many a poor, rescued, girl, washed 
in the blood of the Lamb, who might have been 
missing, will be there to gladden our hearts, 
and to sparkle throughout eternity with the 
righteousness of God. 



DELIA,FORMERLYTHE BLUE-BIRD 

OF flULBERRY BEND. 



CHAPTER I. 

HE full particulars of the downfall in the 
beginning of the one known later as the 
} " Blue-Bird " of the slums, are of too 
shocking a character to fully relate ; but, 
in justice to her, it should be stated that, through 
the subtle administering of a powerful drug by 
one regarded as a friend, she was, in a great 
measure, forced into a life which she soon learned 
to despise, and yet so quickly becoming entangled 
through a train of circumstances in the meshes 
of Satan, that she lost all confidence in hu- 
manity at large, and concluded there was no way 
of escape — as many a poor, friendless girl before 
her had done. 



IO DEUA, FORMERLY THE BUJE-BIRD. 

In referring to the dreadfulness of it all, after 
her conversion, she said she even felt in those 
days God had forsaken her, and she was eter- 
nally damned, but still continued on and on 
without one ray of hope. 

Placed in a convent shortly after the death of 
a devoted young mother, poor little Delia was 
left to be reared by strangers. It is true she 
was well cared for as far as training was con- 
cerned, but her young heart craved for love and 
sympathy. 

At the age of seventeen, very unsuspicious by 
nature, bright, pretty and of a very attractive 
disposition, she entered a city boarding-house, 
where, a short time afterward, she became much 
flattered by the attentions of a young lawyer 
(as his position, socially, was far superior to her 
own). 

It was no difficult task to win her affections ; 
nor did this unscrupulous fellow find it any more 
so to repeatedly deceive the girl and trifle with 
her pure love, until finally, crushed and broken- 
hearted, she fled to a, distant village, trusting to 



' DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. II 

hide away among strangers. A few months of 
misery followed, never to be forgotten, when, 
one day, a greater sorrow than all came into her 
life, and, having none to counsel with, she soon 
became desperate. 

Although conversant with many an oft-repeated 
prayer during the convent life, she actually had 
never known the God to whom they had been 
offered, therefore had long ceased giving them 
even a trial to either comfort or save her. 

Everybody and everything seemed to be 
against her in this sore time of need, and so, 
friendless and penniless, she finally roamed 
around awhile again, until, with reckless indif- 
ference, the wine cup was resorted to. Before 
many weeks elapsed it would have been difficult 
to have recognized that once lovely-faced girl in 
the haggered, half-frightened appearing creature, 
hastening from place to place for fear of arrest. 

Once, twice, yes, three times, behind prison 
bars, soon following this, did she bitterly bemoan 
her fate, and solemnly vow when once her free- 
dom was attained everything should be different. 



12 DKUA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

But, when discharged, through discouragements 
and evil remarks, etc., it appeared as if every 
hand was outstretched to put her still lower 
down, and she would once more yield to the in- 
fluence of liquor, opium or snuff, to drown all 
memories of better resolutions. 

For several months she was committed to what 
is known as the House of the Good Shepherd. 
Not desiring reformation, nothing was gained, and 
she came forth more hardened than ever, greatly 
weakened in body ; in fact, a mere physical 
wreck, having actually, through force of will, 
starved herself almost to death in one month, 
and hardly quenching thirst, in order to work 
upon others' sympathies and so obtain her re- 
lease. She was finally permitted to leave, but 
went out into the world again totally unfit to 
care for herself. Roaming around, supported by 
stimulants stolen or begged for, she drifted along 
as it were, with the tide, indulging in all sorts 
of wildness, until taken to a Charity Hospital, 
where for a time her suffering was torture ; but 
when discharged from there, she soon became asso- 



£>ELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. t$ 

dated with a gang of roughs, and shortly recog- 
nized as the woman of a gang of thieves. 

She succeeded as an expert with her little 
hands, especially when requiring money, as a 
pickpocket. Fighting, also, became almost a 
mania with her, and, when opposed in the most 
trifling thing, she fearlessly struck right and 
left, until those she mingled with began actually 
to regard her with fear and respect. 

As dreadful, also, as it may seem, none could, 
by this time, outdo her in either swearing, 
drinking or smoking. 

It hardly seems creditable that in less than 
three years any one could so rapidly descend as 
she had succeeded in doing ; and more than once 
was she made to realize in the most practical 
manner, during these years, that the devil was 
no respecter of persons, and that even young, 
innocent girls, sheltered as she had been behind 
those convent walls, could, indeed (when once 
yielded to his power) , be hurled down as amaz- 
ingly fast as another less protected. 

There was hardly a dance hall, gambling den, 



14 rmLIA, FORMERLY '*H^ BUJ£-£t&£>. 

or even opium joint in that special section of the 
City of New York, where she then took up her 
abode, that she did not frequent. In what was 
known as. Mulberry Bend she could be seen al- 
most nightly, either on the corner of the streets 
or in some low sub-cellar. 

After drinking somewhat heavily she has been 
more than once dragged off to the station house 
between two policemen, as one was not sufficient 
to manage her, although generally handcuffed, 
as she would resist all the way, to say nothing of 
the oaths and words which came forth from her 
lips over the hardness, as she termed it, of her 
fate. Seven times she had thus been carried off, 
until even the police began to regard her as a 
mystery. 

Although a leader in almost everything daring 
or bad, if an injustice was done in her presence 
the defenceless one w r as not only protected, but 
the perpetrator was severely dealt with. Even 
at the risk of her own life, at times, would she 
strike out those little fists into the faces of hard, 
cruel men, never stopping to regard their 
strength, nor to consider hers as a woman. 



Delia, Formerly The blue-bird. 15 

Thus, after awhile, she actually became feared 
by many a big coward, and admired by others, 
for pluck and courage. 

When sober, no one of all that crowd who 
fairly swarm those streets had a bigger heart, 
and more than once did she even care, herself, for 
persons stricken with sickness; and upon one occa- 
sion, when a companion was lying very low with 
a certain disease, this strange girl could have 
been seen day after day faithfully nursing the 
sufferer, never thinking of the awful danger she 
was being exposed to in those badly ventilated 
quarters, nor considering it a sacrifice. 

She had, indeed, many noble qualities hidden 
under great wickedness, which, after her 
conversion, became so sanctified by redeeming 
grace as to make her of great power wherever 
she went. 

At the age of twenty- three, probably there 
was not a more hardened character upon the 
streets of New York, and the very thought of 
reformation had been dismissed from her mind 
forever, as she supposed. 

And now comes the story of the Pink Rose. 




CHAPTER II. 



{ NB rather sultry night im the early spring, 
May 25, 1 89 1, a little band of workers 
accompanied me down to the slums in 
in the lower part of New York. 
Before starting, a most beautiful pale pink 
rose was presented me, and the thought came, 
while gazing at its purity and beauty, to take it 
along, and to trust God to use it for His glory. 
Accordingly, before starting, we knelt in prayer, 
and asked whoever it should be given to might 
receive a blessing, etc. 

From place to place we went, until we finally 
found ourselves entering a low sub-cellar >in Mul- 
berry Street. Upon descending, the room seemed 
somewhat crowded with a rather disorderly and 
excited set (mostly men), talking, smoking and 
swearing. The atmosphere was somewhat dense, 
and for a moment we did little but stand still 



> 




— 

w 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 1 7 

and look at the motley group who closed in upon 
us. Some savage, cruel faces looked into ours, 
while others less interested stood aloof, or were 
so occupied with their own wretchedness as to 
pay little attention to the visitors. 

As a rule, we had permission to hold a short 
service there, but that particular night we were 
not even allowed to sing ; and, in fact, made to 
understand our presence was not desired for 
many minutes. 

A gang of thieves surrounded us; although 
unaware of it then, we could not but be forcibly 
impressed with the one regarded as u the woman 
of the crowd." She appeared to be spokesman, 
leader and all. She kept very close to me, and, 
as I looked upon her poor, bruised face, with 
those ugly black marks under her eyes, I saw a 
bad cut on the forehead, and that part of her 
hair had actually been pulled out by the roots, 
while the side of her ear showed another bad 
scar, from a former fight, as she afterward ex- 
plained. The remainder of her hair was hanging 
loosely down the back, over a dirty blue cotton 
dress. 



1 8 DEUA, FORMERLY TH# BWE-BIRIX 

As she stood there, her wild, penetrating eyes 
were fastened on my face, and something I can 
never describe drew me to her in such love and 
pity that then and there I felt she must be 
saved. 

As we turned, somewhat disheartened, to go 
up the street, she followed very closely behind. 
The reason I never knew until months later ; it 
was this : That very day two of the gang she 
belonged to had been arrested, and the remain- 
ing ones were so incensed, and, being more or 
less under the influence of liquor, she feared they 
might revenge themselves upon some of us. 
Recognizing that we were Christians, and down 
there for good purposes, she determined to pro- 
tect us, and if any one got hurt, as she said, 
when speaking of that night, they would have 
to strike her first. 

How often have we seen even in the most de- 
praved vseemingly, God respected in others, as in 
this case ! 

There was a wild look of boldness upon the 
countenance of the weird-looking girl, mixed 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 1 9 

with reckless courage, which certainly appeared 
to give her the advantage over the many cow- 
ardly and timid ones she mingled with, and, 
although her face was equally haggard and 
pinched, and greatly marred by the ravages of 
sin and intemperance, one could readily perceive 
she was superior in many ways, although a most 
deplorable specimen of humanity, and only 
twenty- three years of age ! 

When on the sidewalk, she proposed going 
with us into some of the opium joints on Mott 
Street. Knowing well it was not customary for 
even Christian workers to enter such places 
without detectives, she peered silently into our 
faces for a moment, awaiting the reply ; then, 
thinking possibly fear might deter us from ac- 
cepting the proposition, she tossed her head dis- 
dainfully, and said: "Ah, come along. I'm 
neither afraid of man, God nor the devil." 



CHAPTER III. 



'T was from no desire of curiosity that we 
finally acquiesced, as our hearts had been 
sickened more than once that night by 
what our eyes had witnessed ; but I had 
personally such an intense longing, by this time, 
to talk privately to this strange girl, that, for 
one, I would have been willing to have accompa- 
nied her almost anywhere for the opportunity of 
keeping close to her until this was accom- 
plished. 

All we saw and came in contact with upon 
proceeding in and out some of the joints, as they 
are called, is too revolting to recall, and, with 
the exception of this poor girl, we know not if 
aught else was accomplished, although a large 
number of tracts were distributed, and many 
words spoken for Christ. 

Still, the recollection of what she was then, 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE- BIRD. 21 

and afterward proved to be, to the day she en- 
tered her heavenly home, certainly more than 
compensates for the losing of a night's rest, and 
subjecting oneself to those awful sights. 

Feeling assured if New York itself were 
searched no more dreadful looking being could 
be found, as a woman, I decided to make her 
the recipient of the rose, which up to this time 
had been concealed in paper, so as. not to attract 
attention. 

We could not refrain from smiling at her re- 
ception of it. She nodded her head and simply 
said, laughingly, " O, that's all right." Ah, she 
little knew — nor did we at that time — how all 
right it was ! One of our small company of 
w r orkers teased me a little, feeling sure the rose 
was wasted, and I had as good as thrown it 
away. There was such a conviction, however, 
in my heart that God had prompted the giving 
of it, that I answered : 4< He will use it in some 
way, because I asked His blessing upon it before 
I gave it to her." 

Side by side, for nearly an hour, Delia and I 



22 kELIA, FORMERLY ^H^ Bljj£-BIRD. 

walked together, only vSeparating as we entered 
the different places. In real prayerfulness did I 
plead with her to leave this fearful life, but 
nothing seemed to touch her heart. She said 
she could get all she wanted to eat, and if she 
needed money all she had to do was to help her- 
self from those who had it. She had yielded to 
every known sin, and so there was no use to do 
differently, etc. 

Nevertheless, the more we conversed together 
the greater became the conviction that she must 
be saved ; and even then in the depths of that 
depraved heart could I perceive, with the grace 
of Jesus Christ, great possibilities of better 
things. This thought so took possession of me 
that for twenty-four hours no soul was ever held 
up much more persistently in believing faith 
before God than was the poor girl of the streets. 

She was known by three names in that wicked 
district. The police, on account of their diffi- 
culty to find her, gave her the title of "The 
Mystery ; n the people knew her as "The Mul- 
berry Slum Bummer," while others called her 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 2% 

"Blue-Bird," (I suppose on account of her par- 
tiality for that color). For three years she had 
been roaming thus about with these people, 
until (as she remarked) she had become per- 
fectly callous to everything good, bad, or indif- 
ferent. 

As I listened to all this and more that I 
would not care to repeat, the thought presented 
itself over and over again, if this girl was once 
established in Christ, God could so sanctify that 
fearlessness of disposition as to make her as 
notorious for Him possibly as w 7 as Jerry McAuley, 
for, as has been said, there was scarcely a den of 
vice or place of iniquity she was not acquainted 
with, nor would be afraid to enter, throughout 
that ward or others. 

Her actions certainly gave no encouragement 
to these thoughts, until just as we were about 
parting, when she promised to come the following 
night to Florence Mission. As she did so, she 
quickly discerned the look of incredulity upon some 
of our faces, and, in a rough but dignified manner, 
drew herself up and said ; " I suppose you don't 



24 DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

believe me, but when I say a thing I am a person 
to do what I say," and, with some force, added, 
" Pll be there ', ' ' and then bid us good-bye. 

The next evening I waited till nearly 1 1 o'clock 
at the place designated, but finally returned home 
with a sad heart, and without seeing her. All 
the way up town but one prayer arose over and 
over again from the depths of my soul : " O God, 
save her ; use any one, but save her, for Christ's 
sake/; 

The following day I went, as usual, to The 
Door of Hope,, and found the matron awaiting 
me in the hall, with a small parcel in her hand 
and an unusually happy face. She greeted me 
with these words : • ' Oh, I have something to tell 
you ; but look inside of your parcel first. ' ' I un- 
did it with some curiosity, and, at the first glance 
at its contents, my eyes filled with tears, and a 
peculiar feeling choked all utterance for an in- 
stant, accompanied with unspeakable joy, for I 
held in my hand the remnant of that once beauti- 
ful rose given in His name two nights ago It had 
done its duty faithfully, in silently speaking di- 
rectly to her heart. 




DOOR OF HOPK, No. i, 
1 02 East 61st Street, New York. 



CHAPTER IV. 



/^TL,L that day, after parting with us, some- 
i^J thing seemed pressing upon her spirits, 
making her most restless, and at last she 
determined to drown it all through drink. Glass 
after glass was taken, but all to no avail, for the 
more she took the more sober did she, seemingly, 
become, and by the time evening set in she was 
desperate. Entering the same sub-cellar we first 
met her in, she went over to the shelf where she 
had placed the -ose, in an old glass bottle, for 
safe keeping. She reached forth her hand, took 
it down, and was about to pin it on her dress, 
when its beauty attracted her attention for a mo- 
ment, and she became very still when she noticed 
it was beginning to wilt, and some of the leaves 
fell off, on her hand, to the floor. Then some- 
thing suggested the thought that once she was as 
pure as the rose, and the bright days of her earlv 



26 DElylA, FORMERLY "THE BLUE-BIRD. 

childhood flitted before her imagination, and the 
smile of her young, happy mother. With a deep 
sigh, which caused her hand to tremble, and the 
rose to fall almost apart, something then seemed 
to speak in this way: " Delia, your years are 
dropping off in sin like the leaves to the rose." 
1 ' That's so, ' ' she almost audibly replied. * ' And 
the end?" As the question arose, almost as 
quickly did her eyes become riveted upon the 
petals, which by this time were quite discolored, 
and the answer came, causing her to shiver at the 
awful word— " Hell !" From head to foot did 
she shiver, and began to feel as if her very hair 
had turned to wire, while the entire body seemed 
to be fast becoming petrified with horror, when, 
suddenly, the promise to go up to the mission 
came to her mind, and with it a way of escape 
seemed opened. 

As quick as a flash she turned, and, glancing 
at the many curious eyes watching her, she said, 
abruptly, with emphasis, "Boys, I'm going to 
leave you to-night ! ' ' With that, among a clatter 
of tongues, one managed to be heard, saying, 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 27 

1 1 Why, Bluey is going mad ; look at her, she's lost 
so much blood from that last row ! And where 
are you going, my girl? " he added. 

"Up to the mission, to meet that lady who 
talked to me last night, ' ' she replied, more decid- 
edly than ever. 

Finally, seeing they could not alter that set 
determination, one fellow lounging around said: 
"Well, Bluey, have you got a red?" (or some- 
thing of that sort). 

' ' No, ' ' came the answer. 

14 Well, I declare ; if you're going you shall go 
like a lady," he replied ; and, diving way down 
into his greasy old pocket, he pulled out a five 
cent piece — the price of his supper that night — 
and said, most cheerfully, " I guess I can go with- 
out my coffee one night, so you can ride." 

After a little further consultation, the whole 
crowd decided to accompany her to the cars ; and 
oh, how often since has my soul thrilled with pity 
and love to those poor fellows as I have repeatedly 
recalled that walk. 

Two by two the little procession followed her 



28 PEUA, FORMERLY ^Hfi BLUE-BIRD. 

down Mulberry Bend to the corner, then up 
Bowery to Chatham Square, and, as they put her 
upon the car, one called out, "Stick to it, old 
gal!" another said, "God bless you, Bluey!" 
while another called out, as the car was moving, 
"Good luck to you; now don't forget us, will 
you?" She answered by leaning over the car, 
waving her hand, and saying, " O, Til never for- 
get you ! " And she certainly never did, for, 
from the very first day after finding the blessed 
IyOird, her one thought was their salvation, and 
how she could improve their condition. 

Cannot we learn some lessons from the slums in 
the fidelity of these people? When once they 
perceived that she was, as they termed it, "set 
upon doing right," they intended helping her to 
do so. How many sinners have we helped with 
as much earnestness to the feet of Jesus ? Has 
the price of one of our meals, for instance, ever 
been devoted to such a cause ? Do we realize 
what true giving means ? 

On reaching the mission she found I had gone; 
so, in a few moments, it was arranged that some 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 29 

friends should take her up to The Door of Hope. 
She was cordially welcomed, washed and properly 
dressed, then put to bed. In her hand she lov- 
ingly clung on still to the once beautiful rose, 
even carrying it to the little room where she took 
her bath. 

That day a young lady, who was then acting as 
temporary assistant at the Home, had received 
almost a counterpart of the rose mentioned, and 
was so touched to see such affection for the now 
poor, withered flower, she felt prompted to pre- 
sent her with the one she had. In speaking of it, 
further on, Delia remarked it seemed but an illus- 
tration of what she was to be, for, in her ow T n 
way, she said, " I entered the Home almost gone, 
body and soul, and then exchanged my life for a 
new one, to bloom as the other rose, by the grace 
of God." How true it all was, and the fragrance 
of this wonderful life : full of perfume still. 

Going into the back parlor, I met Delia coming 
upstairs. Almost before I knew it, such a mar- 
velous love was born in my soul for the girl, that 
my arms were round her in an instant, and I had 



3Q DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

kissed those poor, bruised cheeks with much ten- 
derness. With a look of astonishment she drew 
back a moment, then her whole body quivered, 
and, by the trembling lip and tearful eyes that 
hungrily looked up in return, I felt an entrance 
had somehow been made into her heart for my 
blessed Lord. 

Poor, dear girl, undoubtedly that first pure 
kiss for years recalled some dear associations of 
the past, for in a little while she was sobbing con- 
vulsively. The matron and myself knelt by her 
side, placing our arms around her ; and we were 
both so overcome ourselves, that in silence we 
waited upon the Lord in thankfulness for answered , 
prayer. After a few sentences aloud, God gave 
me a similar prayer to that which was offered by 
the side of Vangie, who was so gloriously saved 
before entering her heavenly home, shortly after 
the opening of The Door of Hope (the account is 
given in the tract published, entitled, "How 
Vangie was Saved" ). It was simply, " Dear 
Lord, all this poor child needs is a little love ; 
now help us both to so love her that we will love 
her into loving Thee, ' ' etc. 



CHAPTER V. 

'HAT magic word, "love," thus spoken, 
accomplished what all that had been said 

^ the night before failed to do. 

"O," she cried, "I never heard any 
Dne talk to God that way ! You speak as if you 
thought he was real." 

"Yes, indeed, He is, dear child," I replied; 
14 as real to me as you are, kneeling here. And 
now I want you to pray." 

Trembling and sobbing still, she finally said, 
4 ' God be merciful to me a sinner, for Jesus' sake. ' ' 
And, from what took place then, I am confident 
there was general rejoicing around the throne of 
God by the angels, heralding the glad tidings of 
another washed and redeemed by the blood of the 
Lamb below, and, even though snatched as a 
brand from the burning, made most acceptable, 
through Christ the Redeemer, to all on High. 



32 DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

On arising from our knees there was a bright 
look of triumph in her eyes, and, notwithstanding 
all the disfigurement sin had made on that face, 
we felt satisfied of her salvation, if but from her 
expression alone. From that day neither liquor, 
opium, snuff or tobacco has ever been desired by 
her, and she certainly followed on to know the 
Lord with all her soul most bravely. 

Few in my experience have ever grown so rap- 
idly in divine grace. Only the next day she 
requested permission to go to the Tombs to see 
one of her former associates — Dan byname. At 
first I refused, feeling she should become more 
grounded in the truth before mingling in any way 
with those she had just left, and added, as we 
talked it over, I believed God would make Tier a 
power among them later on. 

With tears in her eyes she turned away, saying 
quietly, " Well, of course, if you say no, I won't 
go." Suddenly something checked me, and I 
asked why she wished to go so much. 

Looking earnestly into my face, she quietly 
answered, ' ' O, I want to tell Dan that if Christ 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 33 

saved me — and he knows what a wretch I was — 
He could save him ; that's why." 
. At once I made arrangements for her to go ; 
and upon going down there she said, " I'm going 
to ask God to let Dan be my first convert. ■ ' It 
ended in bringing conviction to the heart of that 
lonely prisoner, and when sentenced, he had the 
arm of God to lean upon, and, though shut up 
behind prison bars for many a long year to come, 
his letters, received from time to time, prove the 
sincerity of his trust. He was her first convert. 
A few weeks after entering The Door of Hope, 
requiring constant medical treatment, Delia de- 
cided to- go to the hospital for a few weeks. From 
there she wrote the following in answer to some 
letters : 

My Dear Mother Whittemore : 

I received your kind and welcome letter just about 
4 o'clock, and am answering at 4.30 P.M. Now, I don't 
want you to think I am lonesome even here, with pain 
and suffering, for, go where I will, I find some one who 
needs help — a kind word, etc.^-worse than I do. Why, 
you would hardly believe me, but the girls just flock 



34 DEUA, FORMERLY THE BIJJE-BIRD. 

around me at all times to listen to me ! And, thank 
God, He is using me here, for I've got the promise of 
one young girl who will lead a better life, but there are 
a good many who just mock. I know it is not me they 
are mocking, but Jesus Christ, and that is why I feel 
sorry for them. I shall not despair with His help. 

There is another one, Mary E , who has lived a 

bad life since she was fourteen years old, and she is now 
thirty-two ; well, she just sits here and listens to me, 
and, of course, I picture sin darker than night, and my 
life now as a Christian just as bright as gold, thank the 
Lord ! 

Quite a few ladies promised to come to see us to-day, 
but not one came, not even Mrs. F- — . Two ladies 

from the mission called, but never spoke of God to 

any one in the ward. They gave out some fruit and 
papers. I guess the weather was too warm, up here on 
the top floor, for them. One of them recognized me, 
as I was here once before I became a Christian, and she 
said, "What! you here again ?' ' in no sort of a friendly 
tone. T was singing "Nearer, my God, to Thee." Well, 
I was just going to say something that was not very 
nice, when I just thought a minute, and then answered, 
"Yes, ma'am ; thank God." She walked away into the 
next ward, and did not come near me again. So you see 
.even here I have to "watch and pray." 

I went to service Sunday. Mr. Myers, the minister, 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 35 

came the next morning into our ward and asked me if I 
was not a Catholic. I answered I was brought up one. 
He then said he had seen me in the meeting, and, no- 
ticing how attentive I was, came to ask me to come 
often. I promised to come if I could, and when I 
couldn't I wouldn't. 

Just before getting on the boat to come here, what do 
you think ? I met a friend I knew before, and I begged 
him to give up his bad life and go to work, and he 
would find himself a better man, etc. Monday I re- 
ceived a letter from him, which I shall send to you, as I 
am not going to have any secrets from you. 

I wrote and told him I needed nothing to keep me 
from stealing now ; asked him to look for work, and to 
attend as many missions as he could, and not to be 
ashamed to ask the boys to go with him, or to tell them 
he was going to be a Christian. 

Never fear, for God's sake I intend to battle Satan. I 
don't work for him any more, for I have a Saviour who 
is your Saviour, too. 

I know you love me, " dear mother," and I feel, when 
tempted to do wrong, one thought of you would still 
claim me for Jesus. 

I am feeling pretty well. God be with you till we 
meet again. I read most of the time in Mary's Bible. 

I shall never be able to thank you for what you have 
done for me, but my Father in heaven and Jesus Christ 



36 B^tlA, FORMtfRtY THE EttJit-EIRD* 

won't forget anything. I want to do everything to His 
glory. 

I hope the Lord will help Miss P come to the Home* 

to teach me to study. I know I need not ask your 
prayers, because you are always talking to God ; and 
may He never let you get tired. 

No matter where I am, on sea or land, I shall always 
think of my best friend, next to Jesus, and that is you, 
who have taken my mother's place in my heart, which 
has been left vacant since I was nine years old. 

God bless you, is my prayer always. Do not worry 
for me, as God tells me at all times I am on the right path, 
and though I stumble, He says I shall not fall, trusting 
Him. 

Yesterday, nobody knows but God and myself what 
temptation the devil just put in my way. I had hardly 
gotten off the boat at 26th St. when I was asked to take 
a drink, but thinking of your kindness and love while 
keeping my mind on Jesus I conquered the " old man." 

Only for thinking of Jesus and His sufferings, often 
would I have despaired in my pain. Sometimes I would 
awake in much distress, but would just say, " thank God 
I have the use of my limbs and eyes ; " then I would take 
a drink of water. Even while drinking I could but think 
of how the dear Saviour was nailed on the cross, and 
when asking for a drink, how the people offered him gall; 
I just said to myself, " have I not ^iven Him gall when 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 37 

I might have given Him water as well, when He was 
calling me to Himself? ' ' Never mind, I am going to wait 
on Him better in the future, for He is going to be my 
Teacher. Write soon. 

With love, your daughter, 

DELIA. 
June, 1891. 



CHAPTER VI. 

O prove how God cares for every little detail, 
I will go back a moment, as it slipped my 
memory when writing of her reception into 
the Home* She had not even a change of 
clothing, and the things upon her had to be de- 
stroyed, Nothing was in our closet in the way of 
a dress, when I remembered all at once the trunk 
standing unopened in the hall, from a young man, 
a member of my Bible class, who came and asked 
if I could make use of some of his dear mother's 
things. . He explained ever since her death he 
had so cherished them for her sake that they did 
no one any good, and always seemed to add to his 
sorrow, until finally the L,ord put it into his heart 
to send them to The Door of Hope. It not only 
touched my heart, as, by the tears in his eyes, I 
felt what it must have meant to part with them, 
but, on taking the articles out, I was quite over- 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 39 

come at the provisional love of God, at sending 
them just when He did, for they fitted dear Delia 
as if moulded to her form, dresses and all. 

Before evening, as an added blessing to all, one 
of the workers sent me some money to use, if 
necessary, for her comfort ; so, indeed, everything 
was provided according to the Word, Phil, iv : 19, 
and all tended to strengthen and greatly increase 
our faith and hers. 

After returning to the home from the hospital, 
she became very much interested in her Bible, and 
would spend every spare moment reading and 
commenting over it, until God so enlightened 
her understanding and enlarged her heart that 
she soon became capable of applying the blessed 
words in many ways of comfort and encourage- 
ment to those she mingled with. More than one 
dear girl can bless God to-day for what she was 
the means of thus doing for them, when sorely 
tempted to return to the old, wild life again ; how 
she would coax them upstairs and kneel by their 
side in prayer, doing, as she used to say, like 
Mother Whittemore would have done if she had 
been there. 



40 DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

At the end of three months we started forth 
together upon her public service, and began in 
the very dive from which the L,ord had so glori- 
ously rescued her. That night will ever be lov- 
ingly remembered. It is difficult to do justice to 
such a service. 

• With much natural shrinking she descended 
those steps by my side, and, when fairly standing 
in the midst of many of her former companions, 
she perceptibly trembled. As I regarded her up- 
turned face, so full of love and tenderness, as she 
spoke, I could hardly believe it possible she ever 
could have been standing there as a member of 
that gang. 

In great silence for a moment every one present 
regarded her. A motley group of men and wo- 
men stood around, and, when she began speaking, 
no one could have had a more respectful audience. 
There were some with broken noses, black eyes, 
and arms out of joint, from fights, we were in- 
formed, to say nothing of their clothing, hardly 
fit to be recognized as such. A few, overpowered 
by drink, had rolled under the benches by the 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUEBIRD. 41 

wall, too stupid to know what was transpiring, 
until clubbed up by the keeper of the place, to 
behave decent before the company, or in other 
words, to get the cup of coffee they were only too 
glad to sell us, and which we always bought to 
treat all hands, in order to remain awhile and talk 
with those w 7 ho frequented the dreadful places. 

This is what she said : (< Boys, do you think I 
look like the same girl I did three months ago ? 
Do you think I'm proud of the past, and come 
down here to speak of it?" With a trembling 
voice, choked w r ith tears, she proceeded : " I want 
to tell you, if / could be saved, you can. It's 
Christ that forgave my sins and made me w 7 hat I 
am ; and what He did for me He will do for you. 
Oh, won't you let Him, boys? Won't you ? " 

By this time there was not a dry eye in that 
sub-cellar, excepting, possibly, Italian Joe, who 
was as busy as ever fixing the coffee, and seemed 
more intent upon how much was to be made that 
night than upon anything else. 

As she paused a moment I glanced in tender 
pity with her into those many upturned faces. 



42 D£ljA, FORMERLY Th£ BIJJE-BiftB; 

They were blear-eyed, bruised and battered coun^ 
tenances indeed, strangely stamped by sin. One 
wretched specimen of a woman, with an eye out* 
her hair flying in all directions, stood listening in 
respectful silence , while down her cheek could be 
seen signs of tears on one side of her poor face. 
Another, literally covered with rags, had, through 
a dreadful fight, broken her nose, and yet she 
stood and stood, taking in all that was said. The 
scratches on her poor, dirty face told their story, 
while the miserable shawl thrown over her head 
but added to the awfulness of it all. As for those 
fearful looking men standing near, I had better 
not describe them, except one, who had his arm 
in a sling, and stood there with his hat thrown 
back on his head, listening eagerly to all she said. 
His face looked as if he had seen better days, and 
now the past seemed to be recalled through the 
hopeful words of Delia, and he bowed his head 
with the rest, and wept before the power of God. 
Possibly this was so ; who can tell, though, what 
was taking place accurately ? 

It truly was a weird sight in that semi-lighted 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 43 

cellar, and not one amiss for a painter to behold, 
and would have readily touched even a heart of 
stone. 

On and on fearlessly she spoke, until quite 
overcome herself, she ended with almost a sob, 
and said, " L,et us pray," and, leaning over as I 
knelt beside her, she whispered, "And mother 
dear, you pray." I felt, indeed, like praising 
God before them all, kneeling on that dirty saw- 
dust next to her, for ever crowding the world out 
of my heart, and giving me far more delight thus 
bowing before Him in all this wretchedness than 
I ever experienced in all the so-called pleasures of 
life w r e are apt to regard as so essential for one's 
happiness. 

I believe that night, about 2 o'clock, I realized 
as never before the value of an immortal soul, and 
the wonderful love of Jesus in being pleased to 
save just such as they, and even " unto the utter- 
most." It all ended by determining to give my- 
self up more unreservedly to Him and His cause. 

Many kneeling around us also joined in prayer 
as best they could, and, although w T e saw no 



44 DKUA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

immediate results, save their being much over- 
come, we both felt, on arising, that that night 
would be recalled yet to the glory of God. One 
thing certain : on leaving the place Delia and my- 
self were somehow drawn closer together in love 
than ever, and I saw what God could accomplish 
through her. 

Even in the day-time, when passing through 
the slums after this, it was astonishing to see the 
great reverence the people showed us as we walked 
through their streets. On one occasion, as Delia 
was hurrying along down there, a large crowd 
collected and called to her. She stopped, while 
some wretched women shouted out, " Oh, you've 
made a foin lady of yerself, now, sure enough ! 
You're very foin now, ain't ye ? " 

' ( Stop there ! ' ' interrupted Delia. ' ( You know 
how hard / tried to make a lady of myself, and 
you know, now, don't you, how I succeeded : 
what a miserable failure I made by it all ? It 
brought me where you are now. But let me tell 
you, what He did for me He will do as quickly 
for you. Will you let Him ? " A man made use 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 45 

of an oath in commendation, but was roughly 
silenced by one known as Shaggy Jim, a poor 
broken-down old fellow, saying, with a blow, 
' ' Can't ye behave ? Have ye no manners ? Blue- 
Bird is here ; she's talking." 

Ah, how quickly is God in others respected, 
even by those in sin, when the person is as honest 
and courageous as she was. 

Another time they stopped her by saying, 
" See here, Bluey, give us a talk ; won't you ? " 
Some imagine it's hard to touch hearts in those 
quarters ; it's because they haven't tried, or have 
not taken sufficient of the heart of Christ to do so. 
Many other interesting instances could be given, 
but time and space will not permit, so I must 
hasten. 

Shortly after Christmas she went to New Lon- 
don, where for weeks she labored most faithfully 
and successfully in the dear Bradley Street Mission 
God gave me in answer to prayer, shortly after the 
opening of the Door of Hope. One case especially 
who was brought to Christ through her influence 
— was for years given up to the use of drugs — will 



46 DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

never cease thanking God for deliverance, and for 
sending her there. From there she went to Noank 
and Mystic; where God also owned her services 
in a most marked manner, not only among the 
poor and lowly, but among the educated as well, 
so there was general lamenting when she turned 
her face homeward once more. 




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CHAPTER VII. 



f HILE in New London, the following let- 
ter was received : 
Mother Dear : 
Continual meetings here, and in the midst of 
them I had an earnest appeal to go to Noank. * ' A united 
call from the people, " the deacon said who came and told 
me, adding the people needed awakening. I left, say- 
ing, " Anywhere for Jesus." Instead of a few days it 
grew into weeks, and still the cry was, " Go on." 

I've had ten meetings a week. It seems at times as if 
my heart was bleeding, when I looked into the faces of 
some of those men with the demon of drink upon their 
faces. 

Noank is shaken up, thank God. 

I've gotton a little quieter now, in disposition ; what 
do you think of it ? Just ask God to make me what He 
wants me to be. I want to be humble for Christ. 

God bless you, and, although you did get me from 
Mulberry Bend, don't ever let it give you any uneasi- 
ness as to how I stand, for I am on the Solid Rock, Christ 
Jesus ; and, what is more, I am not content to be there 



4^ DELIA, FORMERLY THE fcLUE-BI&B. 

myself, but want to help others to get on there with 
me. 

Just think, one year, nearly, glory to God, in His 
service ! I'm going to try another in His strength. I 
often think of what a young girl said in the hospital, 
Shortly after being saved ; she was one of my former 
companions: "That's Delia, and not Delia." No; 
praise God, Delia died, was crucified, and, as Jesus was 
risen, so is she in newness of life, the last part of May, 
1 89 1. Your own daughter in Christ, 

April, 1892. DELIA. 

. Noank, 1892. 
My own Mother Whittemore : 

I want to tell you I am happier than ever in my life. 
This morning I received your letter, and, if I were beside 
you, there would something happen outside the usual. 
May God bless you. I love you more than ever. I have 
cause to, so bless your heart, little mother. I have 
Jesus Christ, God my Father, and you for my adviser ; 
why, I wouldn't change places with anyone ! I know 
what it means to serve Him. 

Do you know that tract you sent me — "Just for To- 
day? " I like it very much. That's what I am doing ; 
trusting that way. I talk to Jesus more than I ever did 
before. It may seem strange language for me, but it 
is so. 



Delia, Formerly the blue-bird. 49 

Do you know, I even thank God for making me 
weak ; it is such a pleasure to ask Hitn for His strength* 
and to take it. Now, little mother, if you want me to 
be unhappy, it would be to know that you were worry- 
ing about me. I am shut up — not in prison, but with 
Christ ; and, if that is God's will, shouldn't I be happy ? 
Shouldn't you ? 

You should never judge me by my looks, any more 
than you can judge a book always by its cover. 

I've just read my first and old Psalm — xxvii — you 
gave me. 

Good-bye now, with much love, 

DAUGHTER DELIA. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

' HORTLY after this she took a trip to Au- 
burn, N. Y., to see a former friend, whc 
was mentioned as awaiting his trial in the 
Tombs, at the beginning of her Christian 
life. 

The following are one or more letters written 
during her sojourn there. 

All through the winter she had been looking 
forward eagerly and prayerfully to paying this 
visit to that former companion and friend Dan, 
and, through self-denial, had sent many a little 
gift to the lonely man in his prison cell, also had 
laid aside small amounts given her from time to 
time, to purchase her ticket there and bach. In 
order to develop the dear girl even more, I allowed 
this all to be, and, before starting, increased her 
pleasure by telling her I intended paying her fare 
cXL the time, so she could take her mone; for 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 5 1 

what she pleased. It is hardly necessary to relate 
that not one cent of it was expended foolishly, or 
in gratifying self. 

Auburn, April, 1892. 
Dear Mother Whittemore : 

God bless you. I want to tell you I have found God's 
people up here, as well as in every other place, even in 
prison, praise God ! Well, He did go before me and 
make ' ' crooked places straight and rough places smooth. " 

I am to have the service Easter Sunday at Auburn 
prison, to read and speak before 1,300 or 1,500 men. O 
Jesus, how good you are to me ! Isn't He? Glory to 
His name ! I never did give a sermon as a minister 
does, but pray, pray for me. You well know what it 
means to me. My heart is full ; may I never prove un- 
grateful to Him. If I had a dozen lives or tongues, they 
should all be His. 

tell all the girls at The Door of Hope to be true to 
Christ at any cost. It is not loss, but new life ; I know 
it, when He should be willing to place me in His foot- 
steps. 

1 love Him better than all else besides. These are 
not idle words. Not one can or will stand in my way 
toward serving Him. Come what may, I will be true 
to God. 

I know what "any cost" may mean. It does not 



52 DEIJA, FORMERLY THE BI.UK-BIRD. 

always mean as we would like it, but God's will be done. 
And, mother, I love you better now than ever in my life, 
for, if it was not for your loving kindness, your open 
Door of Hope, where would I be to-day ? Perhaps in 
hell first, then Potter's Field, for I would not even get a 
Christian burial, let alone a Christian death. 

May God always cause His face to shine upon you. I 
don't know what to write very well, but I do know I love 
Jesus Christ. I want you to pray that God will keep me 
at the foot of the cross. I don't want to be conscious of 
surroundings any more than it is God's will I should. 

I have been thinking to-day that we sometimes get 
God's will and our own mixed up, for sometimes we say 
if it is God's will, or God's will be done, and at the 
same time we know that it is our will that we want 
done, and it is one's own heart that says yes or no ; but 
J do want all His own will to be done in regard to all 
my undertakings. 

Later : 

II 'TtCC pretty hard to come here, not knowing a soul, 
hnt God 3d lift up friends for me. I went to the W. C. 
T 17. Convention yesterday, and met Mrs. W . 

I sew Dan to-day. God went before me. I made up 
my mine I would have no nonsense, for fear I might 
forget the errand God had sent me upon, so I just walked 
into his cell as if I had seen him but yesterday, and 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 53 

simply said, "O, good morning, Dan," then spoka the 
words that were given me to say — so kept Jesus in mind. 
Who knows but I might have caused God dishonor if I 
had done otherwise. I spoke of accepting Jesus in all 
things. He said he does pray ever since coming here, 
and is determined to live for God ; and is going to write 
to his father for the first time, and tell him, etc. Enough 
for now. Your daughter, 

DELIA. 



Again, on her return, to show the real character 
of the girl, she said, when referring to Dan, " I 
wanted to forget self, and not forget the errand 
God sent me upon, so, when I entered his cell, I 
just said, as I wrote, ' O, good morning Dan,' as 
if I had seen him but yesterday, ' ' and then she ad- 
ded, with her face lit up with holy love, " I just 
spoke as God gave me the words, and he dropped 
his head on his breast, and was quite overcome. 
He said if God could keep me out of prison, in 
the world, surrounded by temptations, strong 
and true to Him, he, as a man, ought to be 
ashamed of himself if he didn't let God keep him 
in prison, away from everything." 



54 DBUA, FORMERLY THK BLUE-BIRD. 

I wrote on to the Chaplain, requesting she 
might speak to the prisoners collectively, and ac- 
cordingly, on Sunday, she addressed over 1,500 
of them. I was told afterward that no pen could 
describe the scene which took place, as, under the 
power of God, that frail girl stood proclaiming 
the truths of the gospel, and relating her past 
experience. 

Large numbers present knew her personally 
when living her wild life, while others had only 
heard of her, and so were doubly interested. 

During her stay in Auburn she met many de- 
lightful people in the place, and God raised up 
several friends for her. One kindly took down 
most all she said that day in prison, and in her 
own language, as she spoke, to which we must 
devote the following chapters. 



CHAPTER IX. 

A TALK TO THE PRISONERS IN AUBURN PRISON. 



By Delia Loughlin. 



w 



ELL, boys, as I look at you this morning, 
and look over this sea of faces here, I 
wonder how many there are in this room 
that know God. Now, before I begin, I 
want to tell you that you must look for no fine 
thing, for if I started to speak it I'd make a 
blunder; and then, again, don't think I came 
here to look at you out of curiosity, for God for- 
bid I should. I have been in the same box my- 
self, and I know what it is. 

It is not the pleasantest thing in my life to 
stand up here and tell you that I myself have 
been the same way ; but when I was low down 
and cast out by every one, so that I did not care 



56 DELIA, PO&MEktV ?H$ BLUE-BIRD. 

what I did, but kept drifting and drifting until 
I started on a run down hill, shunned by even 
my own, thinking there was no use to do better, 
I found out I could lead a better life. I can tell 
you that every one of you here to-day can do the 
same thing, if you will only trust in God. 

Perhaps some of you say, " Oh, you bet, when 
I get out I'll lead a better life ; I'll turn over a 
new leaf." Never mind about your turning over 
a new leaf. Resolutions don't go for much. I 
have heard one that ic in this room to-day make 
a resolution that he would never take another 
thing that didn't belong to him ; that he would 
lead a straight life. Did he ? Well, you can 
bet he idn't. It wasn't ten minutes after until 
the very one was in the hands of an officer. 

Now, boys, perhaps you will say, well, nobody 
cares for m ou ; there is no use to do better ; that 
you can't ret honest work even when you do get 
out. Let mc tell you that you can. But don't 
be waiting till ^ou do get out to lead a better life. 
Start while you are in, if it is only in a kind word 
and a kind action. Help one another, and God 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 57 

will go before you and ' ' make the crooked places 
straight and the rough places smooth," and raise 
up friends for you that you never thought you 
had. Now I know what this means — a kind 
word, a kind action — I myself would at one time 
have thought it was a, baby-act to give a kind 
word to any one. Since I have started to live a 
straight life, God has raised up friends for me 
that I never had before, even those that once 
scorned me and cast me down. I can tell you it 
is not a very pleasant thing when you see 
those that you have known in other days 
passing you by on the streets with a look of 
scorn. 

Sometimes we say, ' ' We don't care. ' ' We try 
to put on a bold front ; we turn up our lip with 
scorn, and we say, " Humph, we don't care.' 3 I 
know what that means. I have often started to 
do a thing, knowing there was a consequence to 
come for it, too, but willing to take the conse- 
quence as long as I got what I was after. I can 
tell you oftentimes that, for all our boldness and 
our indifference, and you know it yourselves, 



58 DEUA, FORMKRiY THE BIJJE-BIRD. 

when it comes to the point, we are the biggest 
cowards down at heart. Now, boys, it is not 
because I have read this, or heard some one else 
tell it, but it is because I have experienced it 
myself, that I can tell you that Jesus will take 
us, any one and every one, when every one else 
will turn their backs upon us. 

We are not way down all at once. We go on 
drifting ; at first start it is not in the slums. It 
is as respectable sinners in higher life, as we 
think. Perhaps start to drink wine ; but I know 
what it is to crave after a three- cent drink of 
whiskey. Let me ask you here, what have you 
got for this life in serving the devil and false 
friends of this world, can you tell me ? I can 
tell what I had : misery, scorn, imprisonment, 
poverty, rags ; and I tell you, when we first start 
to serve the devil it may be diamonds, but it 
soon comes down to glass ; it may be gold, but 
it soon comes down to copper ; it may be silks, 
but we will soon find ourselves in rags. 

What have I got since I started to serve 
Christ? perhaps you $ay. I have gotten love, 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 59 

peace, contentment, and, should God call me 
when I lie on my bed at night, that I could say 
that I am satisfied to go, knowing I have served 
Him the best I knew how through the day. But 
while I was serving the devil, while I was having 
a big time sporting around schooner houses, and 
from there down around the Bend, and I can tell 
you that I was tough, and wanted to make those 
around me dread me, but I can tell you that 
whenever I did go to my room and to bed, I 
never went to sleep unless I had a lamp burning 
until morning. Neither would I sleep in a house 
alone, not knowing where I would be in the 
morning, as already I have been taken out of 
bed by a detective. Sometimes when I would 
get up in the morning I did not know where I 
would be before night. If I wasn't sent up for 
drunkenness, it would be, perhaps, for disorderly 
conduct, or fighting in the street. 

Now, boys, I don't have to tell you all this, as 
there are a great many in this place that know 
who I was and where I came from, but I want 
to tell you that when God saved me, He can 



6o DEUA, FORMERLY *H£ BlyU^-BIRB. 

save anyone ; and you know when a woman is 
down, she's down, and she is even cast out by her 
own, and she is lower, as the saying goes, than 
a man could ever be. 

Perhaps some of you have known the love of 
God at some time, and have rejected Him. Per- 
haps some of you have mocked Him for many 
years. I remember one Saturday afternoon, as I 
sat in my arm-chair at the Charity Hospital, 
brought there through sin, a young woman came 
up the ward, a missionary, and I was looking 
out upon the water with my back turned toward 
her, and she touched me on the shoulder and 
asked me if I had found Jesus. I turned around 
and looked at the woman in a scornful way, and 
said, ' ' No ; was He lost ? ' ' She looked at me so 
pitifully, and I began laughing at her. She 
wasn't so easily turned away, and she commenced 
to sing that beautiful hymn, "Nothing but the 
Blood of Jesus.' ' I asked her if she would take 
a walk ; I didn't want to hear any more of that, 
nor did I want to have any one speak to me, 
especially a Protestant. Even as a child I hated 



DELIA, FORMERLY *TH£ BLtf£-BlRD. 6 1 

them, and wouldn't sit in school beside one if I 
could help it. 

I can tell you friends, I went on indifferently. 
I had plenty of religion, as far as form went, 
reading out of the prayer book and going to 
church. But I didn't do that unless I had to, 
and I used sometimes to go and look in at the 
door and see what priest was at the altar, for 
fear that my father would ask me when I came 
home. 

Well, I left Charity Hospital to go down in 
sin deeper than ever. As far as resolves went, 
before I left, I was never going to drink any 
more, I was never going to do the things I had 
done, but before the night was over I was drunk. 
I served the devil faithfully for many years. He 
sent me to prison time after time ; sent me to the 
hospitals with pain and suffering ; still it never 
brought me to my senses. Now I don't want to 
take up all the time, but I want to tell you, 
perhaps as you will ask , how did I come to know 
God, and what enticed me to give up my crooked 
life ? And before I close I will tell you a little 



62 DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

of it. It wasn't long prayer. It wasn't any 
long nagging, but it was the power of God. 
Perhaps you are thinking how long did it take 
me to give up, and think about leaving this kind 
of life, as we always use the expression, "Lead 
a straight life." Well, I will tell you: it took 
me about three minutes. Just while I asked God 
to do it ! 

One night last May some ladies came down to 
Mulberry Bend, and coming into the dive where 
I was — a great many of you here know what 
that is, and I don't have to tell you where it is, 
either — a crowd of boys and girls were standing 
round. I saw them coming down the steps, and 
I thought there was a chance for some fun, for, 
as I saw the faces coming in at the door, I knew 
that they were people that didn't know much 
about the place they had come into, especially 
when I saw the ladies amongst them, as I didn't 
'know whether the men were "Fly cops," or 
something else. When I heard them ask if they 
could sing, the Italian said no, that they would 
make such a noise that the police would come in 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 63 

and make an arrest. I knew what was the mat- 
ter with him, and that he was afraid of losing 
his trade, and the people walked out of the 
place, and I stood scolding the Italian. Just 
then one of the men came back and asked me if 
I would show them some of the places round 
the Bend. Of course, I went up with them, and 
invited them to go into the Chinese opium joints. 
They did, and we walked from place to place in 
every joint we could get into. At last these 
people walked back to the same place they 
started from with me, to the place I came out of. 
One of the ladies asked me if I didn't want to 
give up that life ; if I didn't want a good home, 
where I could have my meals regularly, where 
I would be happy? I told her that I had a 
home. So I did — anywhere the night found me. 
I told her that when I wanted money I generally 
knew where to get it. When she was going 
away she gave me a beautiful pink rose she had 
in her hand. Flowers I always loved ; perhaps 
I would have one stuck in my button hole, with 
neither my face washed nor my hair combed. 



64 DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

But I took the rose and carried it down-stairs, 
and asked Joe, the " Italian," to give me a big 
glass bottle to put it in. I put it upon the shelf 
in water, and never thought any more about it 
that night, as I knew it was safe. Next day, as 
it must have been two or three o'clock in the 
morning then, for I kept drinking and trying to 
pass the time* away the same as usual, there 
seemed something hanging over me all day that 
I couldn't make out what it was. I tried to get 
full, and the more I drank the soberer I got, 
never once thinking of the rose until, the next 
night, something seemed to urge me to look 
upon that shelf. As I looked up, I noticed the 
rose there. I took it down and I thought of the 
promise I had made the night before, that I 
would go up to the Florence Mission to meet 
that lady who had given me the flower. Now, 
the mission I had never been in in my life, only 
once in the Salvation Army room, that was for 
acting disorderly ; but, as I took the rose in my 
hand — it looked quite fresh in the bottle — after I 
held it in my hand for a moment it fell apart. 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 65 

I was just going to pin it to my coat, — but never 
did human being speak to me plainer than the 
rose that night. 

Now, boys, I wasn't given to sentiment, or to 
anything like it, but I will tell you that rose 
spoke to me that night as I stood gazing on it, 
with all the boys and girls around me cursing, 
and drinking, and card playing. It seemed to 
say to me, u You see hew fresh and how beauti- 
ful that rose was yesterday, and you see how it 
is to-night. You were once as pure and as fresh 
as that rose was ; now those leaves lying in your 
hand are your years, dropping off one by one ; 
that centre where it is all blackened said that is 
hell before you, and you are going down." 
Without another thought I turned around to 
those around me and said, "Boys and girls, 
I'm going to leave you to-night." Tljey all 
looked at me in wonder. I had been stabbed 
shortly before that, and from the loss of blood, 
and drinking so heavily, I had had delirium. 
The boys made the remark, "Bluey is going 
crazy ; " but I said, " No, boys, unless it is crazy 



66 XXEXIA, FORMERLY THE BI<UE-BIRD. 

serving the devil ; unless it is crazy leading this 
life. But I'm going away to-night." They 
said, "Where are you going, Bluey?" I said, 
" I'm going up to the Florence Mission to meet 
that lady, as I didn't know her name, that was 
down here last night. ' ' ' • Why, ' ' the boys said, 
"she's going to the mission !" Now, a good 
many of them knew what the mission meant, 
but I hadn't been in one. So the first question 
asked was, " How are you fixed? " You know 
what that means when we are broke, when one 
asks how you're fixed. I said, "I ain't got a 
cent." One of the boys put his hand down into 
his pocket, and said, " I have got a nickel." I 
said, (f I don't want it ; I'll get there to-night if 
I have to walk there." But it was no go. They 
said they'd go up and see me as far as the car 
any w^y. I can see them now as they walked 
two by two up to the car at Chatham Square. 
There was three passed before they would let 
us on. At last I got on one, and the last words 
was, " When will you be down again, Bluey?" 
and some called out different things. As the 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 67 

boys said, " Good-bye ; I suppose if you go up 
there you will be high-toned ; you won't come 
near any of us." I said, " Boys, I will never get 
so." 

Anyway, I did go up to the Florence Mission. 
From there I was taken up to the Door of Hope, 
in East Sixty-first Street. As soon as I got in 
that door I looked around to see if there were 
any bars on the windows, or such things, as I 
used to see in all the Institutions I had ever 
been in, on Black well's Island or Brooklyn. I 
said to myself, I'm going to stay here. I went 
up and went to bed, and the next morning got 
up. Well, I will cut it short a little. About 10 
o'clock Mrs. Whittemore — God bless her where- 
ever she is to-day — as that was the lady's name 
that had given me the flower — she said, " Come 
into the back parlor, I want to speak to you." I 
went in with her, and she put her arm around 
me and kissed me, just as I was, and, kneeling 
down beside a chair, began praying, and in her 
prayer she kept telling some one how bad I was, 
and she says, "Now, God, you can make her 



68 DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

better, and you can love he*;" and I don't 
know what else she said, but while she was 
praying I was saying to myself, who is she tell- 
ing on me ? and I thought she was crazy. After 
she got through she asked me if I could pray 
for myself. Well, I had never prayed like that 
in my life, so I didn't want to say any prayers 
I knew, she being a Protestant, so I said from 
my heart, and partly to myself, <( Now God, she 
has been asking you to do this. She says you 
can do it, and that you can make me better." 
Now, friends, I had tried to be better so many 
times myself, as many of you, perhaps, have 
done, but when she said that if I would ask God 
to do it He would do it, I just said, " Now God, 
she said. you could do it, and I want you to do 
it, and I want you to do it if you can. Give me 
a quiet mind, and keep desires for both liquor, 
and snuff, and drugs away from me, and I will 
do anything 3^ou want me to." Boys, I can tell 
you that right there I was broke down crying, 
and I then knew that, in place of being crazy, 
there was something wrong with myself. I got 



fcEUA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 69 

up from that chair determined to serve God and 
do what was right, and to serve God at any cost. 
Not according to what any one said about me, 
for I knew that a great many would say that I 
would never stick it out a week. 

Now, that at any cost meant to me quite a little, 
for a short time after I was asked to go down into 
those very places where I had come cut from, 
and I went there knowing that I had promised 
God to do what He led me to, at any cost. I 
found it meant to go among the very ones I had 
come out from among, for, if God's Word ever 
spoke a truth, it spoke it in saying, " Come ye 
out from among them and be ye separate." I 
can never think of that verse, cr that hymn that 
says, "There were ninety and nine," and one 
had strayed, but I always think that I was the 
lost one that Jesus Christ came to save. And so, 
boys, to-day there is some one here that Jesus 
Christ wants to make one of his fold, and make 
it a hundred. 

Now, won't you start out from to-day and say 
that you will be men, for, let me tell you, you 



^O DELIA, FORMERLY THE BUJE-BIRI}. 

will never be sorry for the step you take \ and 
when you give your soul to God you can tell 
Him all your needs, and ask God to help you, 
and to teach you the way and lead you in this 
life, and He will. It won't be a cowardly act — 
it will be the most manly act you ever did in 
your life, for in all my years I never could say I 
was a Christian until I knelt at the feet of Christ 
and asked for pardon. 

Now, boys, I want to ask you, before I close, to 
pray for me, and, come what will, though friends 
turn from me, though it means death, though it 
means separation, we still have Jesus Christ to 
look to, and He never forsakes us, for He said, 
"When thy father and mother forsake thee, then 
I will take thee up." I want to tell you that, 
God willing, God keeping me, I will go on to 
the end. 



CHAPTER X. 

HAT same night this dear child spoke in 
one of the largest churches there, and 
filled the hearts of all who listened with 
awe. She wrote that, as she ascended for 
the first time in her life into the pulpit, her heart 
beat so loudly, she was afraid she couldn't speak, 
but she added, " I did as you say you do, mother 
dear — I just bowed my head in prayer and got 
lost in God, and when it was time to speak all 
fear was gene, and it just seemed as if Jesus 
Himself was standing close by to give me the 
thought to express what He most wanted." 

She gave very little account of herself when 
she returned, but was continually filled with 
delight to see what God did through her, and 
gave Him all the glory, as she said, with eyes full 
of tears, " I know it's not me at all, but Jesus, 
who did so much for me, for surely I can never 



72 DELIA, FORMERLY THE BI,UE-BlM>. 

forget the awful past — it helps to keep me in my 
right place ; nothing at all, but Jesus is my all 
in all." 

On her way back she stopped at Syracuse and 
one or two places, when finally her health broke 
completely down, and a few days later came home 
to The Door of Hope. She awoke with a fearful 
hemorrhage that night, and for days afterward 
lay very white and still, but so patient and gentle. 

Never can I forget the first impression of her 
coming departure ; it seemed as if my heart would 
break. By this time she had grown to be very 
much in my life, and it seemed as if it could not 
be. Standing beside her bed one morning with 
similar thoughts, the tears began to come, and, 
although for her sake I endeavored to control 
them, she noticed the sorrow on my face, and at 
once put her thin arms round my neck, drawing 
me very close to her side, said most lovingly, as 
she wiped the tears away, " Mother dear" — O 
how I loved to hear her, and, in fact, any of my 
dear redeemed girls, call me by that sacred name, 
none so to my ears next to the name of Jesus — 



DHUAj FORMERLY THE BLUEBIRD. " 73 

"Oh, don't you cry, it's all right if God wants to 
take me; and just think, mother dear, if He 
does," she went on to say, with a triumphant 
look of glory, " I will go to heaven rejoicing in 
nearly one solid year of blessed service ; just 
think of that now ! ' ' 

"Yes, my precious child, " I lovingly replied, 
as I stroked her brow, " and such service many 
a Christian could be envious over." 

Friends, do you know what it was ? Over one 
hundred souls brought to Christ within a year, 
inside of eleven months, through her earnest, 
fruitful efforts, and no one can estimate what that 
really means, or how many more she may have 
touched. 

How many have you, dear reader, been instru- 
mental of leading to your Saviour during the 
past eleven months, yes, in the last eleven 
years? Shall one such girl, washed in Jesus' 
blood, get ahead of us and cause us to hang our 
heads in shame by and by, or will not the recital 
of what she accomplished but stimulate us into 
more earnest action for the cause of our divine 
Master ? 



74 DEUA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

Let us keep close to the Lord and this will be 
possible, and may the very thought of her inspire 
us with holy enthusiasm, causing us to be up and 
doing, availing ourselves of every opportunity to 
speak the word in season. Will we ? 

Another day, upon entering her room, with a 
face radiant with love, she exclaimed, " O mother 
dear, He's given me something !" Seeing the 
questioning expression upon my countenance, 
without further delay explained, ' ' Well, I couldn't 
sleep last night, so spent hour after hour in prayer 
and waiting upon God, and just asked Him to 
give me a birthday gift in a message, and He 
gave me this : ' Chosen and sealed unto the 
Lord,' " and, giving my hand a tight pressure, 
she added, " O, isn't it beautiful ? ' ' 

I could not*but reply it was indeed, and very 
fitting, for she was truly the Lord's very own in 
every sense of the word. Afterward we had 
those words cut out in large letters, and hung 
over her bed ! How she loved to gaze up at it ! 
Just before entering into the presence of God her 
eyes rested upon the text, and when asked if she 



tXELIA, FORMERLY THE BUTE-BIRD. 75 

, felt then as if she was truly chosen and sealed 
unto the Lord, though past speech, her face was 
illumined with expectant glory, and she bowed 
her head in assent with a smile of joy. A few 
moments later she entered into the reality of it all. 
Surely in such a triumphant entrance into 
heaven all the sting of death was gone, and, al- 
though those standing by the bed, gazing on that 
lifeless form, were filled with sorrow, they, too, 
could smile for joy in the midst of it all, as the 
mind would endeavor to grasp the thought of 
what it all meant to her. 




CHAPTER XL 

^N one occasion, I took her up to New 
Haven to hold some services, and during 
her talk in one of the churches, God 
influenced the heart of one of the prominent gen- 
tlemen of that place to become interested in her, 
and, shortly after our return home, he wrote 
requesting the pleasure of starting what he desired 
might be known as the " Delia Fund," enclosing 
a certain amount of money himself towards it, 
stating, from time to time, he probably could get 
others interested in it ; also adding that even in 
case of her death he wished this fund to continue, 
the object of which was to either furnish meals or 
clothing to those who she formerly associated with 
in sin, if they gave any real evidence of being de~ 
sirious of listening to counsel, or, what was still 
more important, willing to be taught of God. 
Dear child, before entering her home on High, 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 77 

she had the pleasure of using some of this money, 
and nothing gave her greater joy than to try and 
make others happy. 

Accepting an invitation to speak at one of Mrs. 
F.'s Bible classes in Sing Sing Prison, I decided to 
have Delia accompany me, in order to give her 
testimony of the power of God to save and keep. 

After delivering a short talk, dwelling especially 
upon " Him that cometh unto me I will in no 
wise cast out," she arose, as a practical illustration 
of it all, and emphasized the truth I had en- 
deavored to bring forth, of the matchless love of 
God, by describing what she once was. Tears 
glistened in the eyes of many a strong man, as 
with marked attention they listened, and, at the 
close of our service, over thirty hands were raised 
in prayer. 

Among that large audience of prisoners, there 
sat a very gentlemanly person, evidently in deep 
thought, and, though strangely moved, he seemed 
apparently ashamed to acknowledge it. He had, 
up to that hour, boasted of his infidelity, and, on 
entering the chapel, the very cynical expression 



78 DEUA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

of his countenance denoted not only an indiffer- 
ence to all lie might hear, but a sort of composure 
that should not be ruffled by it. 

Though well connected, through the power of 
sin, from one step to another, he had finally found 
himself behind prison bars, with many a bitter re- 
gret, more on account of those who loved him and 
he had so disgraced, than even for himself. He 
regarded it all as the hardness of fate. 

Shut up again that night in his lonely cell, re- 
viewing what he had heaid in the afternoon, a 
great hunger seemed to arise in his soul, for 
something, he knew not what, and the thought 
would repeatedly present itself of the possibility 
of there being a God after all. Then the oft-re- 
peated text, * ' Him that cometh to me I will in 
no wise cast out," kept coming into his mind over 
and over again, until finally he actually threw 
himself upon his knees and called upon God, if 
there was a God, to have mercy upon his soul ; 
and the Christ he had so long rejected, so opened 
the eyes of his understanding that he accepted 
Him as his light and salvation. Ever since he 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 79 

lias realized the efficacy of that pardoning blood, 
and has endeavored to follow on to know the Lord 
more fully. 

Shortly, an intense desire arose within his heart 
to reach forth a helping hand to those who know 
no God, and in much prayerfulness the following 
lines were written. May God add His blessing in 
saving power to those who may peruse them ! 



THE APPEAL. 



k l Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise 
cast out." 

How many there are in this world to-day who 
never heard the sweet words of Jesus, ' ' I will in 
no wise cast out. ' ' 

Oh, you with broken hearts, you disappointed 
ones, you whose life seems a total failure, hear ye 
what Jesus said, "I will in no wise cast out." 



SO. DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

And above and before all, you who have fallen, 
and know what it is to be cast out by the world— 
and also, poor fallen girl, most shunned of all — 
do you know that Jesus, the loving brother, the 
fond friend of sinners, said in the very fullness of 
His love, ' ' I will in no wise cast out ! } ' 

Perhaps you know what it is to be received 
by some one who does not exactly tell you they 
don't want you, nor have any sympathy even to 
spare upon you, and yet their faces denote but 
mere toleration. Have you yet learned the bitter 
lesson the world teaches when once you have lost 
its favor ? 

Have you learned what it means to be cast 
out by those who love you, and who in the hey- 
day of your life were all fond smiles and endear- 
ing words? 

Oh, dear one, have you believed in the dream 
of life-long happiness? Oh, that short, short 
dream — the bitter awakening and the dark, dread- 
ful days that follow in its wake ! Oh, these terri- 
ble, crushing, merciless days, the lesson, centuries 
old yet new to you, that you are utterly cast out ; 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 8 1 

that the world does not care ; that friends despise 
and forsake you, finally ; all that was once good 
and true in you seems crushed out ! Then ! then ! 
then ! What then ? This, and only this : If 
you have found it so, as I have, and if down in 
the depths of your heart you crave for sympathy, 
for one loving look or word, then give me your 
hand, and I will lead you to a Friend that " stick- 
eth closer than a brother;" to One who lives 
amongst us, and feels our pains and sorrows ; was 
tempted like as we are ; a Man that had a heart 
tender enough to bless little children, and to weep 
over the grave of a friend. Yes ; He loved, He 
wept, He was tempted, He was injured and He 
forgave. He trusted and was betrayed. He was 
mocked, scourged, crowned with thorns, ridiculed, 
spat upon, bound, bleeding, deserted by His 
friends, and then nailed to a cross, and yet with 
His dying breath He called out, " Father forgive 
them." It is to Him, to this Saviour, this be- 
trayed, despised, suffering Jesus, that said, " Him 
that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out," I'll 
take you. 



82 DEUA, FORMBRtV ¥h£ BLTTB-BIRfi. 

Come to Him, then, under the protection of 
this promise, and He will comfort and rest you, 

I came, trusting in that promise— Oh, so weary, 
cast out and hopeless — and He gave me rest. Oh! 
that blessed verse ! Do come to that Friend of 
sinners. Tell Him your sorrows, and when He 
has given you peace, pray for me, for one that 
found a friend in Jesus when cast out and in 
prison. 

And when in that bright world above 

We rise to see our Jesus, 
We'll sing around the throne of love 

His name — the name of Jesus. 



As the day approached her first anniversary- 
just one year saved — she had such a longing de- 
sire to gather together the people of the slums 
somewhere, and plead with them to come to 
Christ, that a few of us and herself, prayed most 
earnestly together, that strength might be grant- 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 83 

ed ; and she was wondrously raised up for that 
night's work, to the astonishment of many. 

Through the kindness of the pastor of the Five 
Points Mission Chapel, consent was given to use 
that building, and about five hundred men and 
a few women were fed that night, with quantities 
of good old-fashioned sandwiches, finishing up 
with ice cream and cake, which latter w r as donat- 
ed by a kind friend, Miss K. 

The order of arrangements was as follows ; 
in the first place, some friends scattered far and 
wide in the slums a little card which had printed 
upon it : 



DELIA, 

Formerly known as the ' ' BL VE-BIRD, ' » 
invites you to 

A FREE SUPPER 

Monday Night, May joth, at 63 Park 
Street. 

Come, and Bring Your Friends. 



NO CHILDREN ADMITTED. 



&4 DEljA, FORMERLY THE BUJE-BlRi); 

At each of the three doors of the basement of 1 
the church we had two men stationed > land my 
husband superintending. 

The crowds that assembled for hours before > 
were most orderly at first, but towards the hour 
of admission j swayed back and forth, until there 
was great danger of some being crushed or seri- 
ously injured. 

We only let one hundred and fifty men in at a 
time. As they entered, Delia and myself greet- 
ed them, then they took their stand at long tables. 
When through, we requested them to go out the 
other door. At that door they were ushered up- 
stairs, to their surprise, and there they were met 
by two other men, who showed them into a 
chapel. With dubious looks at one another at 
first, they finally decided to make the best of it, 
and enjoyed themselves, judging from the remarks 
made upon the entering of the next number of 
men similarly dealt with. In half undertones 
they greeted one another with, " Caught, boys ! n 
" We're in for it ! " " Got the best of us ! " etc. 

After all had been fed we could possibly make 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 85 

room for, we sent ever so many sandwiches to 
the crowd outside, and if the exclamations of 
delight could have been heard — -as they were 
handed around — by some, idlers in the Master's 
vineyard, surely their hearts would have been 
roused into activity to see what further could be 
accomplished. It was most pitiful to look at 
some of the weaker ones of that rough collection 
of human beings on the sidewalk. One old fel- 
low was supported by two good-hearted men, as, 
being lame, he could not make much headway. 
Finally, his strength giving out, he had to be 
left on a little bench near by in the park. Even 
though they left him alone in his misery he was 
not forgotten, for these friends went without 
their sandwiches, putting the slices in their dirty 
pockets, and pieces of cake, to give to him, until 
some one noticed their actions and supplied them 
with more. 

One man, as he entered, said, looking admir- 
ingly into Delia's face, " Bluey, I didn't show 
myself for what I could get to-night, but out of 
respect to you I came down here." Another, 



86 DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

bowing to her, said, "Keep at it, and God bless 
you, Blue-Bird." 

Quite a number of women managed to force 
an entrance to the supper, and they, too, remem- 
bered others who couldn't manage it. 

With a smile and word of welcome for each 
the dear child looked round the room, with 
glistening eyes, more than once, which was most 
expressive of the thoughts of gratefulness being 
entertained for all God had done in her and was 
doing for her. Others watched the girl with 
great interest, and more than once were moved 
to tears as they saw with what love she waited 
upon the poor outcasts of the street. 

We came upstairs and went on the platform, 
and formally called them all to order by singing 
and praying. Then Delia arose and made an 
address, that will never be obliterated from 
the memory, I trust, of even the most degraded 
one present. During her talk, several, in almost 
awhisper, in different parts of the chapel, called 
out: "Go it Bluey," "You're right ! " "God 
bless ye, girl, ' ' etc. 



DELIA, FORMERLY THK BLUE-BIRD. 87 

She closed by pleading most lovingly for them 
to come to Christ, Many tearful faces looked into 
ours towards the end, and when she finished there 
was a murmur of applause, until quietly raising my 
hand, with one little word everything was silent 
again. 

We were requested to have policemen in to see 
everything should be in order, but shrinking 
from any force, but the power of God in answer 
to prayer, I positively refused, and surely every 
visitor present was deeply touched with the rever- 
ence of all present. 

Several worhers followed her with a few words 
of caution, love :md testimony. Then the meeting 
closed by members kneeling in penitence around 
the altar in prayer, and to be prayed with, while 
others looked gravely on in silence. 

Heaven, I believe, bye and bye will reveal 
what was accomplished that long to be remem- 
bered night, and to God will be all the glory. 

About one o'clock we said "good night," 
shaking hands with every one we could. 

A few weeks after this, dear Delia was once 



88 DEUA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD, 

more stricken down, though during these weeks 
she had accomplished much that shall add to her 
joy above, not only in the slums, but also among 
others as sinful in God's sight, up-town among the 
rich. 






CHAPTER XII. 

k NE time, when asked to take a party down 
to the dives, she refused, and upon ex- 
plaining the reason later to me, said, with 
much feeling, "You see, mother dear, so 
many want to go down out of curiosity, and, as 
every one of those men and women were my com- 
panions once, I feel they have souls to be saved 
and a heart to be touched, and I couldn't bear to 
have them looked at," etc. 

These people were upon her heart continually, 
and during her illness she particularly requested 
they might be allowed to visit her, "for," she 
explained, ' ■ I wish to bring as many of them to 
Christ as possible. " After they began coming she 
would often exclaim, " O, how good God is ; He 
knows I can't. go to sinners now, so He sends 
sinners to me ! " 

How faithfully did she labor with those who 
came, even when it was an effort to breathe ! 
One afternoon I paused at her door, and, looking 



90 DEIJA, FORMERLY THE BI,UE-BIRD, 

in, was greatly overcome at what was taking place 
inside the room, She was propped up in bed 
with pillows, and, though fairly gasping for 
breath, with a face that would have touched even 
a heart of stone, she was expending the little 
strength possessed most earnestly in endeavoring 
to bring two ex-convicts to Christ. 

Upon entering I looked from one to another, 
and quietly said, " L,et us kneel by Delia's side 
and settle this now ; ' ' and, as we waited before the 
I^ord, He spoke to the hearts of those men in 
such a way as to cause them to arise with a holy 
desire to serve and love Him. 

O, reader, have you done as much for Christ — 
giving out your very life ? 

Many were unable to come up to see their for- 
mer friend on account of their clothes, so would 
send most touching messages by those who did. 
Thank God, though the tramp, tramp, of many 
could be heard on the stairs during the day, and 
sometimes in the evening, to her room, a lighter 
tread could be heard of almost as many as they 
descended and left the home with happier hearts, 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 9I 

hopeful countenances, and, in not a few cases, 
saved. 

Some questioned the wisdom of allowing her 
strength to be thus expended, but if any other 
course had been adopted, it would have lessened 
her happiness. - What even if it hastened her 
death, was it not an entrance into heaven a little 
sooner? Anyway, I hadn't the heart to interfere, 
when, with pleading looks, she emphasized her 
desire to continue on to the end in this service of 
love. 

A short time before the L,ord took her to Him- 
self, upon entering her room, she said, ' ' As I feel 
a little stronger to-day — there's something upon 
my mind, and if you'll sit down awhile, mother 
dear, I want to talk to you." 

Very calmly she then went on making every 
preparation for the funeral that was soon to take 
place. Everything was thought of, even to what 
she should wear, and, after giving messages for 
one and another, and stating her wishes concern- 
ing a few of her little possessions, she said, with 
such a fond look, gazing into my face, u Well, as 



92 DEUA, FORMERLY ^HE BUTE-BIRD. ; 

for you, mother dear, I — have — nothing — to — 
say ! 9 ' She had repeatedly stated before she 
only wished she could put into words how she 
loved me, but every time she tried she couldn't. 
Ah, she little knew how loudly her actions spoke 
of that pure, true love far greater than anything 
she could say; and how she would watch my 
face, and, if she saw a look of concern for her 
upon it, how she would endeavor to dissipate it 
with some cheering word. For instance, once 
when almost choking in a paroxysm of coughing, 
she caught my eye of pity, and she whispered be- 
tween the coughs, " O, if I wasn't coughing so 
hard, you know, I might be doing something 
worse, so don't mind." 

Quite overcome, I hurried from her side, and, 
though by this time I could truly say, ' ' Thy will 
be done," the tears would flow, no matter how I 
tried to restrain them. She was then so entwined 
round my heart, that more than one has expressed 
surprise at such affection, but it was a God-given 
love, therefore unexplainable, and all the more 
real, and I am convinced it is the only cord by . 
^vhich these poor wanderers can ever be drawn, 



DELIA, FORMERLY THK BLTTE-BIR£>. $3 

into the kingdom of heaven. It's not toleration, 
but love they require. 

She called me to her bed in a few moments, 
and, earnestly regarding me a second, entwined 
her arms gently round my neck, and in such a 
quiet manner, as she drew me to her, said, 
14 Mother dear, please stop crying, it's not right ; 
and see here, dear mother, I can be of far more 
service to you after I go than I can be here, a 
poor sick girl." As I was about to question how, 
she added, " You see, when I get to heaven I am 
going to ask God to let me be your guardian 
angel, and I am going to guard you every single 
moment. Now won't that be nice, mother dear? 
Now there, don't cry any more." 

After that morning she never shed a tear, and, 
although she fully expected to live a short time 
longer, she was well prepared to meet her God 
when taken. 

About quarter to eleven, looking at the clock, 
she said, " O, Mother Whittemore must be almost 
home by this time ; won't she be happy in the 
morning to find I have fallen asleep ! u 



§4 BEtlA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

Always thinking of others, she cautioned the 
trained nurse by her side, in case she fell asleep, 
not to forget the girl in the next room, who had 
gone to bed sick, but to warm a little broth for 
her and make her drink it. 

Two hours later, putting her hand to her head, 
she exclaimed, "What is this strange feeling? 
What is it ? " By the expression on her face the 
nurse knew the truth, and hastened to have those 
of us who loved her come. In a few moments all 
was over. No struggle, no pain, simply a breath- 
ing out, into Christ. She was conscious to the 
end, until entering heaven, and only lost her 
speech five minutes before closing her eyes forever 
on earth. She was at first asked if Christ was 
very real, and she nodded a glad yes, with a face 
full of trustful confidence. It was a most glorious 
and abundant entrance into the fullness of God ; 
no fear, perfect peace and joy unspeakable toward 
the last, and full of glory. 

Previous to this her father, who had become 
reconciled to her, begged most earnestly that she 



5elia, formerly the blue-bird. £5 

would allow a priest to visit her, but she as re- 
peatedly refused most firmly. Finally he re- 
quested an explanation, and she told him the 
only reason she possessed was, she believed in 
going to Headquarters direct, and that was why. 

I informed the grief-stricken man that if she 
desired, she could have one ; also that the subject 
of religions was never discussed at the Door of 
Hope, for we had Catholics, Jews, infidels and 
Protestants there, all being welcome, adding, 
though, that the one theme of the Home was 
Christ, and with Him I left all else. 

Without one word of influence upon my part, 
through the prayerful study of the 27th Psalm, 
Delia had been led so close to the Lord that she 
renounced religion for her Saviour, and she truly 
lived up to all the light she could get, and was 
what one of the inmates said she had become, 
when asked what she was going to say when 
questioned as to whether she was a Protestant or 
a Catholic. "Why," she promptly replied, "I 
shall say I am neither, for I am all for Jesus 



now ! 



I " 



96 D£UA, FORMERLY THE BUJE-BIRD. 

I would to God every one who reads these 
words might take power to so become all for 
Jesus ! 




CHAPTER XIII. 

'NOTHER time, her father, bending anx- 
iously over her, said, ■ ' O, I hope, child, 
your soul will be saved ! ' ' ' ' Yes, in- 
deed," she replied joyfully, " I know I am saved, 
so you need not hope so at all." He would stand 
and regard her with amazement, and was deeply 
touched to see the quantity of flowers, fruits, etc., 
that were sent to her by friends who had grown 
to love and respect her. Finally, when his sister 
one evening was endeavoring to persuade her to 
grant her father's request regarding the priest, 
seeing how disturbed she became, he silenced the 
one pleading, by saying, ' ' Let her alone; whatever 
it is she's got, I don't pretend to know, nor say, 
but it seems very real and to satisfy her, and I 
declare if I don't begin to think it satisfies me, 
and I believe she will be saved after all. " Nothing 
further was said on the subject by either of them 
again, and be was made in some way to realize 



^8 DKI.IA, FORMERLY THE BUJE-BIRD. 

that Christ was indeed a sufficient Saviour. God 
grant he may yet accept Him as such, for himself. 

I had often been told by human lips how 
scarred her body was from cuts, bruises and stab 
wounds, but I could hardly imagine it could be so 
marked. After her death I did not feel like let- 
ting any other hand touch her, therefore, with the 
assistance of the matron and nurse, prepared that 
little, thin, wasted body for the burial myself, 
and dressed it in a soft, white robe. I could not 
keep the tears from coursing down my cheeks 
upon proceeding to do what was necessary, as I 
saw the scars and cruel marks of her former life, 
until I thought how Christ had branded her, as 
it were, with His own marks of glory, and that 
through the ages to come the former ones would 
be lost sight of forever, while His would remain 
to tell the story of redeeming love for even one 
such as she. 

By her request that body w T as tenderly placed 
into a spotless white casket, and in her hand was 
put one beautiful pink rose. On her waist could 
be seen the society pin of The Door of Hope she 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 99 

helped to design — a silver anchor with the letters 
P. B. F. upon it, meaning the Past, Buried, For- 
gotten — and only those who would promise with 
God's help not to refer to the past, could be en- 
titled to wear it. 

As she expressly desired no semblance of 
mourning should be around, I could not consent to 
the customary black crape on the door-bell, so was 
prompted to hang up a large bunch of pink roses, 
tied with a white ribbon, and white crape. 
More than one heart was touched by this unusual 
token of respect, as they ascended the steps and 
entered the house, for the roses spoke of the 
simple little thing God so graciously used to 
speak to her heart, while the whiteness of the 
ribbon suggested the purity of the robes of 
Christ's righteousness adorning her then in heaven 
above. 

The night before the services were held the 
bell rang, and a poor fellow came in, not very 
presentable, but greatly agitated, asking if he 
could see her. Permission was granted, and, 
upon entering the parlor, he started back, say- 



I0O DEUA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

ing, half aloud, "Oh, there's reality in such a 
religion ! What a beautiful casket ! O my, it 
might have been a pine box and Potter's Field! " 
Then, advancing, he gazed long and earnestly 
upon the face he once knew so well, and, as the 
tears trickled down his face, he listened to some 
pleading words of entreaty from the lips of the 
matron, as she regarded him with pity and inter- 
est. It all ended by his finally kneeling beside 
that lifeless form and calling upon God to have 
mercy upon his soul, as He did upon Delia, for 
Christ's sake, and in a few moments he left, re- 
joicing in answered prayer. 

In less than an hour he returned with a small 
bunch of roses, and said, though it wasn't much, 
he would like them placed on her casket. And 
those roses cost that poor fellow a walk in the 
streets that cold night, though unknown to us at 
the time. O, if human love is such, what should 
the Divine be ? Have we ever made a sacrifice 
equal to this for Christ? Surely it was but 
another lesson from the Slums. 

On the morning of the 15th of November, at 



DEUA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. IOl 

ii o'clock, large numbers of people of all classes 
flocked into The Door of Hope. What followed 
can best be described from a clipping in the Mis- 
sion Worker, written by an eye-witness to it all, 
and one deeply interested in the dear girl so many 
had learned to love and reverence. 

* ' Not a vestige of mourning could be seen to 
remind one of a funeral, as far as arrangements 
were concerned, though the many tearful eyes 
spoke of the love she called forth. 

" A few moments after n o'clock the services 
began by singing, ' Trust and Obey/ one of her 
choice ; and after an opening prayer by Rev. A. 
B. Simpson, w T ho was in charge, her testimony, 
as she always termed it, w r as sung : ' There is 
sunshine in my soul to-day.' Then Mr. Simpson 
spoke in the most touching manner of the mar- 
velous way in which God had used her consecrated 
life since accepting Him, and drew some forcible 
lessons from it. He also read a few suitable pas- 
sages of Scripture, and closed by calling upon 
Mrs. Whittemore to speak, as he said she knew 
her more intimately than any one. 



IQ2 DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD* 

"She arose, and in a very tender way, with a 
voice choked with tears, gave a graphic account , 
first of that dingy, over-crowded little sub-cellar 
in Mulberry Bend ; then pictured the frail young 
girl standing there, with her face bruised and dis- 
figured, in the midst of that gang of thieves, 
of the words spoken in their presence, of God 
and His love, the rose given, the promise made 
to meet her at the Mission, the names the poor 
child went by, though only twenty-three years of 
age — ' Blue Bird/ 'Mulberry Slum Bummer/ 
and the ' Mystery ' — -and of her being shut up in 
prison six times or more. 

"Then she spoke of the following night, as 
told her by Delia, how she stood in the centre of 
the cellar with the pink rose in her hand, while 
God spoke to her heart, first by saying, ' You 
once were as pure as that rose, and now your 
years are dropping off as its leaves, but in sin ; 
and the end — look ! ' and, as she turned her eyes, 
they rested upon the centre, which had become 
discolored, and something seemed to say , 'Hell. 1 




CHAPTER XIV. 

' HE next described the hold it had upon 
her, almost turning her hair by feeling 
into wire, and petrifying her body in 
horror. Not naturally given to senti- 
ment, it was all the more awful and real, when 
suddenly she remembered her promise, and, turn* 
ing to the boys, she, with fixed expression, an* 
nounced her determination to live a better life, 
informing them she was going to a Mission to 
meet the one who gave her the rose. 

11 Then she told of the five cents given, and 
the procession which followed her to the cars, and 
their expressions, ' God bless you, Bluey, ' ' Don't 
forget us,' etc. 

11 She paused a moment and pleaded with those 
present to be as zealous in urging others to Christ, 
then continued telling how, after reaching the 
Mission, she was brought up to The Door of 
Hope, washed and put to bed by the matron. 
1 ' Of how affected she was the next morning in 



104 DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 

receiving back what was left of the pink rose, 
which Delia had brought with her ; of the meet- 
ing in the back parlor ; of the wonderful love 
God gave her for the poor girl — how she put her 
arms around her and kissed that bloated face; 
and then how they knelt at the feet of Jesus, and, 
in a few moments, how Delia arose redeemed in 
the blood of the Lamb, with tears of joy stream- 
ing down her cheeks, and then came forth the 
fruits of it all, that eternity can never fully reveal. 
She said she had never seen any one grow in 
Divine grace so rapidly. Her one thought was 
in being made a blessing to all — especially to 
those she associated with in sin. 

"She spoke also of that remarkable service 
held at 63 Park Street, to celebrate her first year's 
work, last spring ; of the way God used her then, 
etc. Lastly, she dwelt upon the remaining months 
of sickness which followed, and of the same in- 
tense desire for the salvation of souls, which en- 
abled her to serve God to the last hour of her 
life. How she joyously said one day, * How good 
God is ; I can't go to sinners, but He sends sin- 
ners to me ! ' 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. I05 

11 How on the stairs could be heard the tramp 
of many feet, at times, of ex-convicts, thieves, 
gamblers, and degraded women, of all descrip- 
tions, in fact, and even how those in social stand- 
ing would sit beside that dying girl propped up 
with pillows, to listen to the words which would 
fall from her lips, with tears in their eyes. 

u Almost as many as went up to her room, she 
said, came down saved, strengthened and rejoic- 
ing in Christ. She would tell them of how God 
saved her from drink, opium, tobacco, snuff, 
from the very moment she accepted Christ, by so 
completely destroying the appetite for such things 
as to keep her from even thinking of them, ex- 
cepting to praise Him for the deliverance from 
them. 

"She next referred to her arranging for the 
services at her funeral, and not wishing anything 
gloomy connected with it, asked to be buried in a 
white casket, and that she wanted her death 
especially to speak for the salvation of souls ; also 
asked to have her body taken down to the slums, 
where her former companions might have an op- 



io6 DEI«IA, FORMERLY TH£ BI,UB-BXRD< 

portunity of looking at her face again, as some 
from time to time had sent up delegations to rep- 
resent them, stating, if it were not for their 
shabby clothes, etc., they would come themselves, 
as they longed to see her so. 

* ' Then how, turning her eyes lovingly upon 
her, she put her arms around her neck, drawing 
her down to her side, and said, * As for you, 
mother dear ' — the title she always gave her — ' I 
can be of far more service to you when I am gone 
than now, for I am going to ask God to let me be 
your guardian angel, and I will guard you every 
moment. Now won't that be better than a sick 
girl?' 

"How, also, the night she passed away, she 
sang, with a radiant face, ' My Jesus I love Thee, 
I knowThou art mine, ' and when her speech was 
gone, how she nodded her head with a sweet 
smile when asked if Jesus was very present and 
real to her soul, etc. Then, of her quietly fold- 
ing her hands together, and breathing herself as 
quietly away into eternity, without a pain or 
struggle, to dwell forevermore in the presence of 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 107 

the Christ she had learned to love so well 
below. 

M Mr. Whittemore then made a few most suit- 
able remarks, and spoke most feelingly of what 
she had taught him by her consistent life. 

11 Lastly, Rev. Dr. Kittridge concluded the 
service with an earnest appeal to all present to 
follow the Saviour as fully, dwelling somewhat 
upon the victories in her life, and finished by a 
most tender prayer that God would enable every 
one thereto take a stronger hold in faith and sim- 
ple trust of His goodness. 

11 In the evening of the same day, another 
service was held at 63 Park Street, where she, 
as has been stated, held her first anniversary, 
May 30. 

"Mr. Whittemore took charge, and, after 
singing and prayer, read her favorite Psalm 
(27th), and drew appropriate lessons as he read, 
which affected many present. 

" Then Mr. Taylor, one of the party who went 
to the slums with Mrs. Whittemore the night of 
her rescue, gave an account of his truly remark- 



lo8 ' D^IJA, FORMERLY ^HE) BIJJ^-BIRXJ. 

able conversion, and how he had watched Delia 
developing in Christ. 

" Mrs. Schultz, another member, rose and paid 
a sweet tribute of praise to her memory. Then 
still another of that number, Mr. Selchow, in a 
most earnest manner, pleaded with those before 
him to give heed to all that was said, and stated 
what God was to him. 

' ' Ensign Agnew being present, was asked to 
speak, which she did, with real power, and 
ended by reciting a beautiful little poem upon 
' God's willingness to save/ 

" Mr. Van L,iew, another worker on that mem- 
orable night, next stood up and thanked God for 
what He could do, and had done, and urged 
those listening to come to Christ. 

" Some others in the audience arose by request 
and spoke very sympathetically, and the meeting 
closed by a few words further from Mrs. Whitte- 
more. As she stood by the open casket, pressing 
the truth home of all that had been said, many 
a tear was shed, and nods of approval from that 
strange crowd, who most respectfully listened in 
silence. A mere casual observer even would 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. IO9 

have had to admit that it was not such a difficult 
task after all to reach even such hearts. 

11 She closed in a great spirit of tenderness, and 
many hands were uplifted for prayer in the hall, 
as she knelt. She then prayed most earnestly for 
them, and also for the newspaper reporters pres- 
ent, that they, too, might be brought close to 
Christ and consecrate their pens to His service. 

1 ( After that the most impressive of all sights 
took place, as one after another came forward to 
gaze at the upturned face of their former friend. 
Old men, decrepit and forlorn, young men with 
bloated and cruel faces, miserably clad women of 
various ages and descriptions, some bruised coun- 
tenances, and decidedly stamped by dissipation. 
Yes, they all came most reverently, and numbers 
were so overcome that sobs could be heard through- 
out the place from time to time. Mrs. Whitte- 
more gave to as many as she could, as they passed 
her, a white rose, and to all she gave the little 
book entitled, ' A Word from Delia. ■ It truly 
was something never to be forgotten by the peo- 
ple themselves or those looking on. 



IIO DEIJA, FORMERLY THE BI,UE-BIRD. 

11 Wednesday, in much love, her body was laid 
away in the grave at Marble Grove Cemetery, in 
The Door of Hope plot, and even theae a word for 
the Master was spoken, a prayer offered, and a 
verse of a hymn sung, ' Just as I am, without one 
plea/ before the flowers covered the place where 
her remains will rest until the resurrection call of 
a Saviour's love will quicken them into life and 
action forevermore. 

1 l Surely such a life, when redeemed, was chosen 
and sealed unto the Lord. And may God enable 
all who read this to accept of His choice and be 
sealed for His glory." 



•x- -X- 



CHAPTER XV. 

* N a small bag she always wore I found about 
twenty dollars the day after her death. It 
was all the money she possessed. I could 
not but regard it as sacred, and determined 
to donate it to some worthy object in her name, 
until, one day, when looking over some photo- 
graphs taken of her at various times, the thought 
was suggested to have two of them duplicated 
and sold, using the proceeds to increase this 
little sum. After prayerful consideration, as she 
was deeply interested in Missions and the Foreign 
Field, I dedicated it all to God in her name for 
the spreading of the gospel in these directions. 

Besides the wonderful results from the pictures 
in hundreds of individual cases, from their sale 
already fifty dollars have been sent to China, 
fifty to Hayti, to India, and twenty-five to the 
new mission about to be opened on First Avenue, 
for rescue w r ork up- town. 

The hand of God was perceptibly seen in every 



112 DEUA, FORMERLY THE BI.UE-BIRD. 

stepping. Three months after being so gloriously 
saved, she first asked my consent to sit for a 
picture. It was reluctantly given, as I could not 
imagine she fully realized how strange her ap- 
pearance was even then ; for, although there was 
a bright look, at times, in her eye that spoke for 
the Master, the old marks of sin were plainly 
manifest upon her countenance, even to the place 
above the forehead, where the hair had been 
pulled out. Never will I forget the sense of 
humiliation that almost overpowered her as she 
gazed upon that photograph, and in dismay ex- 
claimed, " O, do I look like that? " 

I gathered them up and for months they were 
hid away in my desk. Six months before enter- 
ing heaven I requested her to try it again, and 
surely no one could possibly wish to see a much 
sweeter face transferred on paper than hers at 
that time, as it was fairly lit up with the love of 
God. 

Placing the two side by side, the marvelous 
contrast was so striking, that I could not but feel 
convinced others would be influenced by it as an 



DELIA, FORMERLY 'THE BLUE-BIRD. 11;$ 

object lesson of the work of grace upon a human 
face. Accordingly I had many copies struck off, 
as stated above, and all that has followed in con- 
nection with them, in a very short space of time, 
has shown whether it met with Divine approval 
or not. 

From nearly all quarters of the United States 
have orders come for the pictures. They are even 
now to be seen in Africa, India, China and Japan, 
and the large numbers of letters received con- 
cerning the good accomplished through them fills 
my heart with gratitude and joy. 

Even ministers occupying prominent positions 
have written in gratitude for ever receiving them, 
stating they would not, if they could not be re- 
placed, take a hundred dollars for their copy, as 
on their study table they have daily a sermon of 
grace preached to their hearts of the wonderful 
love of God to save. 

If any one desires copies of same apart from 
this book, they can be obtained any time by ad- 
dressing The Door of Hope, 102 East 61st Street, 
New York, for the small amount of ten cents, or 
photographs for thirty cents. 



THE RESULTS. 



THE RESULTS ! 

V FP to date the results of this wonderful trans- 
Igl formation under the mighty hand of God 
have been marvelous, and her short, beau- 
tiful Christian life of eighteen months has already 
appealed to thousands throughout the United 
States. 

A gentleman, five hundred miles from our city, 
called one morning at my house and informed me 
with great feeling, that he had travelled all that 
distance to personally have the pleasure of telling 
me what God had done in their place, through 
the simple story of the ' g Pink Rose. ' ' 

He stated how, after this account of Delia was 
given at a public service in his church, a most 
notorious character present became so deeply stir- 
red that she finally was led through its influence 
to accept the Saviour; and, after explaining the 
character of her enormous house, added that now 
her one thought was to have it placed at God's 
disposal in the rescuing of just such ones as she 



Il8 DKUA, FORMERLY THE BI,UE-BIRD. 

had been found the means of leading and enticing 
into all forms of evil — as at times she would have 
over one hundred under her roof. 

A short while before Delia's first illness a gen- 
tleman in St. Louis became greatly interested by 
the account of her conversion, and through the 
reading of the same tract, and thought if such a 
small thing as a pink rose could be so honored of 
God in New York, possibly something might be 
equally effected there. He came on to our city 
with a friend, got an introduction to us, and then 
they both accompanied us from dive to dive in 
Mulberry Bend and other equally disreputable 
places at their request. 

Their hearts were so moved with pity and sym- 
pathy, that on their return to St. I/niis, they im- 
mediately went to work and soon opened a Mis- 
sion, where since over five hundred souls have 
been saved and redeemed in the blood of Jesus. 

Can any one estimate what that means? 

O, the succession of joyful surprises that will 
astonish her throughout eternity! 

Jn a town in Pennsylvania, the people were sq 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD, 1 1. 9 

enthused by the account of her rescue they had 
banded together to open a Door of Hope for the 
girls of their place; pray that it may be singularly 
owned of God to the salvation of hundreds, ' and 
also for those two other efforts started. 

After that most remarkable funeral, one of the 
strangest sort of gatherings took place the night 
following the service held in her memory in No. 63 
Park Street Chapel. 

It was a strange sort of a meeting held that 
night w T ay down in the slums of New York. In 
a little, low sub-cellar a few men, oh, so poor! 
clubbed together after the burial of Delia, once 
known to them alias " Blue Bird," and their 
former companion in sin. 

They had what might rightly be termed a mass- 
meeting, and the topic of discussion was whether 
or not it -was possible that they could really reform, 
and once more be honest and upright men. 

What was the cause that thus brought them 
together ? The night before in 63 Park Street, the 
funeral services of dear Delia w r ere held; and, as 
one and another peered into the casket, their 



I20 DELIA, FORMERLY ^HE BLUE" BIRD. 

hearts had been deeply stirred, and while gazing 
at her upturned face, the tears flowed down their 
cheeks, and muttered words of respect and love 
could be heard for the one who had indeed been 
so true to her former associates, in expending 
even her dying breath for their sakes in hopes of 
winning them for Christ. 

And, oh, how willingly it was done! Even 
when her breathing was short and painful, as has 
already been stated, how she would with tears 
plead with one and another of these very men. 

But to return; before these people left the Chapel 
an earnest appeal was made to them in great pray- 
erfulness, to come to Christ; and, as I continued, 
sobs were heard and bowed heads could be seen 
with solemn faces, while the few workers present 
could not but feel awed at the power of God as 
He worked upon their hearts. The impression 
made seemingly took root, and the outcome was, 
as stated above, in the coming together of these 
men all by themselves. Various plans were sug- 
gested to attain to their desires, and they finally 
closed their meeting by a solemn pledge to stand 



DEUA, FORMERLY THK BLUE-BIRD. 121 

by one another, and so help themselves back into 
respectability again, and by appointing a commit- 
tee of three to write ine a letter concerning their 
determination. 

The evening it came, I was sitting in my li- 
brary with a very sad heart, grieving greatly over 
her loss, hardly being able to engage in the work 
before me, of answering numerous letters, when 
my eyes suddenly rested upon an envelope ad- 
dressed in a rather strange hand lying on a pile of 
opened notes. Wiping the tears away with some- 
what of an effort I took it up, and as I read the 
contents, it seemed as if God's dear hand of love 
had been placed over the sore place in my heart, 
and I truly felt the very balm of Gilead had been 
applied to the ache. And this is what I read : 

Dear and Kind Friend: 

We wish to write a few words to you in behalf of the 
boys in Mulberry Street. It is to the effect that you will 
kindly forgive us and not bear us any hard feelings for 
not saying a few words for dear Delia last Tuesday night, 
but to tell you the truth, the one half of us did not have 
the courage to get up and speak, and the other half— 



122 DEU A, FORMERLY THE BWE-BIRD, 

those who would not be ashamed — did not know what to 
say ; therefore we write in behalf of the boys on Mulberry 
Street, to tell you that no one regrets and sincerely 
mourns Delia's loss more than we do. She has been our 
tried friend and our true friend, a friend when she found 
her new life, who did not forsake us, and we knew that 
her greatest wish was to see us boys leave off our evil 
ways. We feel only too deeply the loss, for we have not 
so many friends that we can throw away a friendship 
like Delia's, who has done so much for us, both in prison 
and outside of prison. And though we are in Mulberry 
Bend, her dear face and kind words and actions will live 
in our memory forever on this earth, and each of us will 
always think that she was the one bright spot in our 
wretched lives. But we promise here that we shall at 
least try and become different men, and do something 
for ourselves and for our God. 

■* We don't say every one will keep his promise, but we 
know there will be a great many who will change their 
lives owing to Delia's sweet, happy face that they saw 
Tuesday. So now, Mrs. Whittemore, we will close this 
letter, hoping you will receive it as gladly as we do in 
* sending it. And if we can do anything for you, call 
upon your humble servants. 

H 

I 

D =-" 

NswYork, Nov. 17, 1892. 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 1 23 

Can we picture such a sight and not be deeply 
moved ? Poor, homeless men, groping their way 
in the dark, the best they know how, to the light! 
What a glorious sight for the eye of God that 
night ! Folding the letter up carefully, a great 
cry arose in my heart : ' ' Lord, what wouldst thou 
have me do about this ? ! ' 

All the next day and evening I could not but 
wait constantly upon God for them, as I felt some- 
thing besides occasionally losing a night's rest 
by going down in the slums, praying and talking 
with them, was required; also, that something most 
definite should be done just now to encourage 
such determinations, which, if tenderly nour- 
ished, would undoubtedly lead to the salvation of 
every one of them. 

The answer came late the next night ; it was 
to invite them up once a week to The Door of 
Hope to spend an evening there, and, by gaining 
th?ir confidence, to reach their hearts in a very 
real way for Christ. Accordingly a letter was 
sent to that effect, and I told them not to mind 
their clothes, promising no strangers should see 



124 PKUA, FORMERLY THE BUJE-BXRD. 

thein, if they would only come. Of course, 
having talked with them in the slums, they had 
no reason to refuse coming on that account, as 
their condition was well known to me. 

Friday evening came, and, at two minutes of 
eight, nine men entered the front parlor, that 
was well lighted and warmed to receive them. 
The inmates of the Home gladly gave up their 
right to the room for the night, so the matron 
and myself were the only ones present with 
them. 

Their faces were as clean as water could make 
them, and their hair brushed and combed, while 
even their shoes showed some attempts at black- 
ing. Their clothes, to be sure, were not much 
in keeping with the place, but we let them soon 
see, by our manner, that we were delighted to 
welcome them just as they were, and in a few 
minutes they were at ease. We played a number 
of simple games with them, and, at nine or so, 
took them down to the dining-room, where a 
nice warm supper awaited us. 

We all sat down together, Miss Anderson at 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 12$ 

one table with some of them, and myself at 
another with the rest,, and we ate, and ate, as if 
we hadn't eaten anything in a month, and we 
never had indigestion afterward, nor a sleepless 
night. The effect acted like magic, for the men 
began to partake for themselves, and by the way 
a few of them ate, there seemed some danger of 
cups, plates, spoons and all disappearing ; but, 
after satisfying themselves to their heart's con- 
tent, they graciously left the latter to be replen- 
ished and utilized for the week following. 

About 10 o'clock we went up stairs and returned 
to the parlor. They were then requested to be 
seated, and, in a few words, they were informed 
that the meeting was not only for that night, but 
for eternity. With marked interest they listened 
to all I said, and willingly took up the Bibles to 
follow the reading selected, as I told them each 
week we would spend a short time in the study 
of God's Word, prayer and singing before leav- 
ing. 

The Bibles were passed around, and a most 
singular thing happened. On opening the first 



1 26 DEtiA,-JtoRM-ERLY THE BUJ^-Btkt). 

one handed out, there was found written on a 
fly-leaf in dear Delia's handwriting, "For 
Murphy, with regards from Delia. * Seek first 
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and 
all these things shall be added unto you. ■ Matt. 

vi: 33." 

The one it had been intended for sat still a 
moment, and, with a very solemn face, took it, 
and soon became so affected, that, with tears, he 
cried, "O, God, be merciful to me a sinner! " It 
did seem strange, that out of all that pile of Bibles, 
that that one unknowingly should have been not 
only taken first, but the writing discovered. I 
could not but feel that God's hand was in it, to 
remind us of the dear girl who, after all, was 
indirectly the cause of our having such a gather- 
ing. She had intended giving it, undoubtedly, 
to him before she died, and, in all probability, was 
the last stroke of her pen, thinking he might 
come up to see her again. After her death that, 
with other books, were gathered up, and, unno- 
ticed, placed down stairs. It deeply touched 
each of our hearts, for it was all so like her. We 



DSLIA, FORMERLY ?H£ BLUE-BIRD. X2J 

felt some way as if she was, in a sense, leading 
our meeting through the Word. 

After singing a few hymns, we read the last 
Psalm in turn, and followed by a few words of 
teaching. Next I asked them all to kneel in 
silence awhile, and quietly pray to God, "Lord, 
teach us how to pray. 1 ' After several moments 
thus spent, I inquired if some wouldn't like to 
pray themselves, but not to do so unless glad to 
do it, as I wouldn't urge any one. 

Four took part ; and oh, such prayers ! Surely 
the heavens must have rung with melody as the 
sound ascended above. Crude ? Yes ; but so 
from the heart that it just took hold of us in a 
way we will never forget. Praise God ! One, 
as a sample will be given : 

' ' Great God, you know what wretched fellows 
we are ; now won't you try and fix us up a bit, 
and make good men out of us all again once 
more? Amen." 

Lovingly, in closing, they were committed to 
God, and we arose after first together audibly 
repeating the Lord's prayer, promising to meet 



128 t>£UA, FORMERLY THE BUIB-BIRD* 

the next week at the same hour, bringing other 
friends with them ; and they left us with many 
happy, hopeful faces, and many an expression 
of gratitude. 

Certainly the L,ord met with us, and we could 
not but thank Him for ever prompting the 
thought of having them come. 

From nine the numbers began increasing, un- 
til we finally decided we must have a name for 
our society. Various ones were proposed, until 
it was finally agreed to call it the Delia Memorial 
Union, and then, of course, nothing would do 
but we must have a badge. I sent a note to Mr. 

D , in Providence, who has always been very 

much interested in our rescue work, and asked 
Him to design something suitable with the 
monogram D. M. upon it. 

A few days later he wrote ; his heart was so 
stirred that he intended presenting the men with 
the badges as a token of fellowship with us, and 
added that he could not seem to fix upon anything 
nice enough, and so laid the matter before the 
Lord. The following morning he drafted what 
came to him, as he believes, in answer to prayer. 



DEUA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 1 29 

It consists of two hearts, one smaller than the 
other, enameled in white. On the smaller one is 
written Ezek. xxxvi : 26, "A new heart will I give 
unto 3^ou," and on the large one D. M., in blue 
enamel, and underneath is the pink rose. Every 
one was delighted with it, for, besides being very 
attractive, it was so suggestive. Truly God never 
omits anything. 

When these badges arrived, a large number 
were present, and, by the varied expressions of 
admiration, satisfaction was most manifest, espe- 
cially as one after another fastened them on their 
coats. 

Later, kneeling in prayer, one poor fellow 
prayed, " O, God, open thou the gates wide, that 
we may all come in ; and say, God, won't you 
wash me till I'm as white as snow ? And keep 
on washing, O, keep on washing, until I am 
whiter than snow. Amen." 

On another occasion, when lying very ill, and 
my husband conveyed the news to them, they 
knelt before God to intercede for my recovery. 
One prayer which especially impressed Mr. Whit- 



I30 DELIA, FORMERLY THE BUTE-BIRL>. 

temore, was as follows : " Good God, You know 
I haven't asked a favor of You for many a long 
year gone by, and I promise not to ask another 
for many a year to come if you'll only cure Mrs. 
Whittemore up quick. Amen." This definite 
cry to God was indeed answered, for I was almost 
immediately restored, to the great astonishment 
of many, soon afterward. 

Another one of my street men was so pleased to 
see me out the next Sabbath, that when I was 
about taking my place upon the platform, arose 
and, leaning over a bench near the rear of the 
hall, called out, '• The Lord bless her, she's well ! 
Boys, let's give her three cheers." Their love 
touched me deeply, though for a few moments 
it was most embarrassing as they responded even 
up to the front seats. 

Another poor fellow came up the aisle later, 
taking hold of both my hands and saying some- 
what excitedly : " I'm that glad to see you ! O, 
do yer believe in a fellow doing the best he knows 
how when he don' t know how to do it ? " i{ My 
friend," I laughingly responded, " if you tell me 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 131 

what you mean, perhaps I can answer you." 
"Well, then," he went on to say, " Do you be- 
lieve in a man keeping his promise when he don't 
know how to keep it?" Seeing his earnestness 
once more, I asked him to explain. He said he 
was one of the large number who promised to 
pray for me, and when he left the Mission he re- 
membered the promise, but as he did not know 
how to pray he got some one else who could, so 
to be as near true to his word as possible. O, 
friend, are we as equally faithful to our pledges to 
God ? 

That Sabbath he gave himself to Christ ; pray 
he may be kept true. 

Shortly after this the membership increased to 
over eighty, and the Door of Hope was not suffi- 
ciently large to receive them. 

It was then deemed wisest and best to change 
the mode of benefiting them. From some remarks 
made, a short time later, among them, the follow - 
ng plan was adopted. They said, after receiving 
good impressions and desires to do right upon 
leaving, they would almost prefer walking the 



I32 D£UA, FORMERLY TH# BLUE-BIRD; 

streets all night than to take a lodging in some of 
the lodging houses, as they were obliged to listen 
to so much that was contaminating and vicious, 
that by morning many of their good resolutions 
would disappear. 

After grave thought and much prayer, God de- 
vised a plan which, as it was unfolded, filled our 
hearts with praise. 

It w r as to open several small homes throughout 
the city among the members of the Union, and 
have them known as the Delia Memorial Homes, 
where these boys, as we call them still, can feel a 
delight in staying. Let me, before drawing this 
book to a close, describe the first one started. It 
was a small apartment on Henry Street, consist- 
ing of four rooms. The front room, as you enter, 
was fitted up most invitingly, and for the cost of 
six cents put to interest in the Bank of Heaven 
three months and a little over before the Home 
was opened. 

One night, two friends laughingly having found 
that amount in the street, presented it to Miss 
Anderson, the matron of Door of Hope. A few 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD 133 

days later, when she knew such a shelter for the 
men was to be opened, she was wondering what 
she could do about it, and lifted her heart in 
prayer for guidance, when something seem to say 
within her, ' ' Gather up the fragments ! gather 
up the fragments ! ' ' and she instantly thought of 
those few cents in her pocket. She consecrated 
them to the L,ord for the furnishing of the reading 
room down there, and in a little over three 
months, through the busy fingers of the inmates 
of the Door of Hope, realized over fifty dollars. 

The first expenditure was in a ball of cotton 
which was knitted into two wash rags, selling for 
thirty cents, and then more cotton was purchased 
and converted into the same articles, and so on, 
until the above amount was the result. 

And now to return to the room. On the four 
sides of the wall were the prettiest and most suit- 
able texts hung sufficiently low, so that, upon en- 
tering, they strike the eye at once. In the centre 
is a table, with a bright red cover, with Bibles, 
books and papers upon it. 

On the floor, a cheery and comfortable-looking 



134 D^UtA, FORMERLY >THE BLUE-BIRD. 

carpet rug was laid, and in the corner of the room 
were small, square tables, holding games of various 
kinds, the gift of Mr. Selchow, though, of course, 
nothing of the nature of either cards or dice, that 
could possibly remind them of former habits, is 
allowed. 

On the window-sill pretty flowers, and on the 
mantle a clock and some pictures of familiar faces, 
and of dear Delia. 

The other rooms were fitted up as sleeping quar- 
ters, and, though small, were sufficiently large for 
the seven who occupied them. 

When possible, they were visited weekly and a 
brief service held with them. 

Every night at ten o'clock they assembled to- 
gether, and after reading the Word of God they 
knelt in prayer and together repeated aloud the 
lord's prayer. 

The one in charge was the first of that number 
on Delia's heart, she formerly associated with, 
next to Dan, and was in every way worthy of trust 
and respect. An account of his conversion can 
be procured by applying at the Door of Hope- for 
the tract entitled, " And His Name was Ike,'' 



DELIA, FORMERLY THE BLUE-BIRD. 1 35 

Each inmate helped some towards the expenses 
of rent, light and fuel, so their self-respect was not 
interfered with and others are encouraged to fol- 
low their example. 

Some of these faces were seen, in days gone by, 
in the Rogues' gallery, but now they are pictured 
together as Christian citizens. O, what will not 
the grace of God accomplish when Christ comes 
into the heart ! 

Every now and then the entire body of members 
belonging to the Delia Memorial Union are to 
meet with others who may desire joining. Also 
for united prayer, counsel and praise. 

Since the first publication of this little book, 
several of these young men have obtained em- 
ployment out of the city ; it was thought advis- 
able to discontinue this especial home for the 
present, in order to enlarge the work still further 
in the near future. 

Later, if permitted, a hall may be hired to meet 
regularly together in memory of the dear girl so 
singularly loved, and whose life was so untiringly 
expended for the spiritual and temporal welfare of 
many of them. 



I36 DKUA, FORMERLY THE WH&SsMMb 

) 

A number of most interesting incidents could 
yet be given, if time permitted, concerning that 
which has already been accomplished through 
Delia's life and triumphant entrance above ; but, 
even so, there would be much left unrecorded 
which will never be known here below. What 
has been stated, may it bat be sanctified to us, 
that our lives may become more consecrated to 
the Master's service. " I beseech you, therefore, 
by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies 
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God." 
Rom. xii : 1. 



The proceeds from the sale of this Book will be 
devoted towards alleviating the wants of those 
situated as Delia once was, with the hope of 
realizing like results in their lives. 



m 



